Photo courtesy of Institut Pasteur Korea
Institut Pasteur Korea (CEO Sung Key Jang) announced on the 21st the establishment of a Korean network for collecting infectious disease research resources.
The institute held a network launch ceremony on November 19 at the BizHub Seoul Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Participating organizations met to discuss future activities and strategies.
Institut Pasteur Korea operates the Global Infectious Disease Research Resource Bank (GISB) and the Novel and Variant Pathogen Resource Bank (NVPRB) to provide infectious disease research resources to academia and industry. These initiatives support research preparedness for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and promote foundational scientific research.
Through the newly established network, the institute plans to strengthen cooperation with medical institutions to expand the collection of patient samples and pathogen resources from various infectious diseases occurring in Korea.
The network includes ten participating institutions: Institut Pasteur Korea, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Korea University Guro Hospital, National Medical Center, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Chosun University Hospital, and the Korea Biotechnology Research and Innovation Association.
The network members will collect resources related to priority infectious diseases identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, as well as globally and domestically significant contagious diseases, adhering to the Bioethics and Safety Act and the Pathogen Resource Management Act.
In particular, the network aims to proactively collect and share resources such as patient samples and pathogens in response to emerging diseases like Disease X, contributing to the establishment of an advanced infectious disease preparedness system.
Sung Key Jang, CEO of Institut Pasteur Korea, stated, “By collaborating with medical institutions, we aim to accelerate the research and development of diagnostic tools, vaccines, and therapeutics for infectious diseases while building a sustainable resource collection network both domestically and internationally.”
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