■The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced on the 6th that it will join the largest global network for the standardization assessment of infectious disease and pandemic vaccines, along with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI). This network established by CEPI aims to accelerate vaccine development to respond more swiftly to future viral threats within as little as 100 days. This includes potentially deadly infectious diseases such as coronaviruses, pandemic influenza, newly identified pathogens, and unknown infectious diseases (Disease X). The network currently consists of 20 research institutes, with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and IVI being the first organizations based in Korea to join.
■SD BIOSENSOR announced on the 6th that it has obtained certification under the European In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulation for its point-of-care molecular diagnostic product 'Standard M10 FRS Fast' that simultaneously detects influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and COVID-19. The M10 FRS Fast can detect a total of 9 genes within 25 to 36 minutes and targets more than two genes for each pathogen, enabling more comprehensive and precise diagnostics. The CE-IVDR NPT certification obtained this time applies to point-of-care diagnostic products used in patient-facing environments and involves stricter certification standards.
■Hanmi Science announced on the 6th that students from the Department of Life Sciences at Ewha Womans University officially visited Hanmi Group's headquarters in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 23rd of last month. This exchange event was part of the '4th Ewha Bio Bridge (EBB)' program organized by the Korea Foundation for Women In Science, Engineering and Technology (WISET), in which students from Ewha participated. The visit included about 30 attendees, including Dr. Kim Hyun-jung, who serves as a mentor in WISET's job exploration mentoring and the Ewha Bio Bridge mentoring, along with professors from Ewha Womans University and life sciences students. Mentoring sessions with Hanmi Science's Connect & Development (C&D) strategy team and curation programs at the 'Im Seong-gi Memorial Hall' were also conducted.
■Dong Kook Lifescience announced on the 6th that it has begun the introduction of key manufacturing equipment to expand its MRI contrast agent production facility in its Anseong plant. This equipment introduction is a follow-up to the approximately 17 billion won investment plan announced in July, aimed at significantly increasing the production capacity of contrast agents by more than three times compared to the existing capacity. Specifically, custom equipment capable of producing various formulations of contrast agent products ranging from 5 mL to 500 mL has been proactively ordered, and it includes an advanced filling line that considers both the efficiency and quality of production. The new filling line being implemented has the largest filling capacity in the country and is designed to enable precise filling volume control and automatic sample inspection without operator interference, meeting enhanced GMP guidelines.
■MEDIPOST announced on the 6th that its brand 'CellTree,' the largest cord blood bank in Korea, is launching a 'cord blood ambassador campaign' to mark its 25th anniversary. This campaign is designed to provide correct information about the 'precious life resource, cord blood,' which can only be collected once at birth, and to raise awareness among expecting mothers about the value and necessity of cord blood. CellTree has appointed experts who have experienced cord blood and transplantation families as ambassadors for this campaign. The campaign can be seen through posters and banners at partner obstetrician-gynecologist clinics across the nation, and videos featuring the stories of the four ambassadors will be publicly available on various online channels, including CellTree's official website, YouTube, and Instagram.
■Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on the 6th that it has won the Grand Prize (Minister of Employment and Labor Award) and the Excellence Award (Chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health Agency Award) at the 'Safety Health Excellence Proposal Competition' and the 'Occupational Health Best Practice Presentation Competition' held in celebration of Industrial Safety and Health Month 2025. These competitions were established to discover and share excellent safety and health activity cases across national business sites and encourage the promotion of worker health and the creation of a safe working environment. Daewoong Pharmaceutical achieved a notable feat by winning top honors in both fields, standing out among major corporations in Korea.
■GFC Life Science announced on the 6th that it has succeeded in identifying the mechanism by which camellia-derived microRNA (miRNA) acts on skin cells. GFC Life Science scientifically demonstrated through research on plant cell-based exosomes that miRNA408, a skin recovery gene derived from camellia, induces skin regeneration, elasticity improvement, and anti-inflammatory effects. This represents an innovative case that shows the core component of plant exosomes, miRNA, performing physiological functions in human skin cells, and the company described it as a leading research applying the concept of 'cross-kingdom communication' to the fields of skin science and cosmeceuticals.
■Dong-A Pharmaceutical announced on the 6th that it will hold a pop-up store for 'Eolbaksah (a drink made with ice - eoreum, Bacchus - a popular energy drink in Korea, and cider)' at Caribbean Bay located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. This pop-up store is themed 'Hunting Eolbaksah' and features a concept of hunting away the summer heat with Eolbaksah. The booth set against a blue sea background includes lounge chairs, surfboards, and other items to create a vacation atmosphere. Dong-A Pharmaceutical has also installed large models of Eolbaksah throughout the venue for brand promotion.
■1ST Biotherapeutics announced on the 5th that a U.S. patent has been registered for the neurodegenerative disease treatment drug 'NLY02,' which is being co-developed with D&D Pharmatech. This patent is expected to secure intellectual property rights for the candidate substance while also serving as a key basis for future global technology transfer strategies. NLY02 is an orally administered low-molecular compound being developed for the treatment of degenerative brain diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. It has a mechanism that selectively inhibits the signaling protein RIPK2 that induces neuroinflammation, and it is currently in the preclinical stage, assessing therapeutic potential in various animal models. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recognized that the NLY02 candidate substance is structurally distinguishable from conventional technologies and has new and improved approaches in its utilization methods, leading to the patent registration.
■Medtronic Korea announced on the 6th that it will launch an online purchasing platform, 'Medtronic eStore,' which allows for rapid ordering of medical devices (therapeutic materials) from Medtronic. Medtronic plans to accelerate innovation across all areas of customer experience, including customer inquiries and technical support, starting with this platform. The Medtronic eStore enables the confirmation of order history, invoice issuance, and shipping status, all of which used to require time constraints via sales representatives or email, to be handled in one go within the platform. Currently, users can order some of Medtronic's representative surgical medical devices, including sutures (Vloc, Polysorb, Maxon), bipolar electrosurgical devices (LigaSure), hernia repair mesh, and skin staplers (Appose), with plans to continuously expand the service offerings.