■ Korea Merck Healthcare announced on the 7th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Medical Science at CHA University Bundang CHA Hospital to promote the development of infertility treatment in Korea, including the development of a predictive model for infertility treatment outcomes and the establishment of patient-customized databases. The two parties will conduct joint research for two years until July 2027 through this research agreement. They plan to develop a predictive model for infertility treatment outcomes to optimize treatment protocols, create a web database for patients, and expand scientific cooperation and academic exchange, including joint publication in international journals and presentations at international conferences, thereby establishing a system that can provide more systematic and optimized treatment for infertility patients.
■ Harim announced on the 7th that it will work with the ChoongAng Vaccine Laboratory to develop vaccines to prevent poultry diseases. The two parties signed a business agreement to establish a unified solution for poultry diseases and agreed to conduct joint research to minimize productivity loss and damage to domestic poultry farms caused by the variant strain of infectious bronchitis (IB). Harim will be responsible for monitoring the outbreak of respiratory diseases among its contracted farms across the nation and establishing databases by obtaining samples and information on the causative IB virus. The ChoongAng Vaccine Laboratory will use the strain samples and data provided by Harim to develop and commercialize new vaccines that can respond to various variants.
■ Y-Biologics announced on the 7th that it has successfully secured large-scale funding through the issuance of private convertible bonds (CB) worth 35 billion won. This CB was completed with oversubscription amidst high market interest. Major participants included leading bio-focused venture capital firms, AJU IB INVESTMENT, DSC Investment, and Partners Investment. The company plans to allocate 15 billion won for essential research for non-clinical studies and clinical trial approvals for AR170, 9.5 billion won for essential research for non-clinical studies and clinical trial approvals for AR166, and 3.5 billion won for other collaborative research projects. Additionally, it aims to accelerate the development of a next-generation immune anticancer drug pipeline based on multi-antibody-cytokine fusion.
■ Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on the 7th the launch of the 'Easydew Summer Edition,' which can simultaneously care for skin heat and pigmentation concerns during the summer. The Easydew Summer Edition consists of three products, with the representative product containing soothing ingredients such as CICA and aloe, designed to lower skin heat and help improve pigmentation. The flagship product, 'Melatonin One-Day Ampoule CICA Aloe,' is a summer version of Easydew's bestseller 'Pigmentation Ampoule (DW-EGF Melatonin One-Day Ampoule),' which has sold over 20 million bottles cumulatively.
■ Dong-A Pharmaceutical announced on the 7th the release of three types of single-ingredient health supplements under the Selparex Basic Line. The new products include Selparex Lutein Zeaxanthin, Selparex RTG Omega-3, and Selparex Plant-Based RTG Omega-3. Selparex Lutein Zeaxanthin contains marigold extracts rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, which can help maintain macular pigment density that may decrease with aging, promoting eye health. Additionally, it features ultra-small plant-based capsules for easier ingestion.
■ Huons Meditec announced on the 7th the launch of the 'HUEN Compact,' a soft endoscope sterilizer that has reduced its size by more than 30% compared to existing products. As the name suggests, HUEN Compact features a compact design and is a reasonably priced endoscope sterilizer. It has been designed to be effectively used in narrow endoscope cleaning rooms by reducing volume and width. The product is approximately 46 cm wide, with a sterilization space (chamber) that maintains its capacity while being deep and close to a square shape, allowing for more stable immersion sterilization.
■ ROKIT Healthcare announced on the 7th that it has received notification from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) regarding the registration decision for its patent on 'personalized skin regeneration sheets and manufacturing methods for patients with diabetic foot disease.' According to the company, this patent involves a technology to precisely design and manufacture skin organ regeneration patches tailored to the individual wound size and shape of patients by integrating AI, adipose-derived biomaterials, and 3D bioprinting. It automatically designs patient data into bioprintable patches based on AI and precisely prints customized biomaterials extracted from the patient's own extracellular matrix (ECM) to induce fundamental wound regeneration.
■ Gilead Sciences Korea announced on the 7th that it has delivered cooling supplies to vulnerable health sectors, including the elderly living alone, low-income individuals, people with disabilities, and single-parent families, for their health during the hot summer months. Since starting its collaboration with the local community following its activities to improve housing conditions in Jung-gu in 2018, Gilead Korea has been providing cooling supplies to vulnerable groups prone to the summer heat for five consecutive years starting in 2021. This year particularly, as the prolonged heat wave increases the risk of heat-related illnesses, they donated 185 fans to vulnerable health groups within the community, especially the elderly living alone.
■ Organoplus, a precision organoid chip-based preclinical platform corporation, announced on the 6th that Professor Park Seong-soo, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) from Sungkyunkwan University's Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been officially invited to lecture as part of the 'Senior Oversea Scholar Exchange Project' at China University of Petroleum (UPC). In his presentation, Professor Park shared research achievements on the topic of 'integrated microfluidic models simulating cancer drug resistance and host-microbe/virus interactions in the gut.' This model quantitatively analyzes the complex interactions of drug resistance in cancer cells and the gut environment using human-derived organoid chips. The company plans to use this presentation in China as a stepping stone to expand cooperation with research institutions in Asia while broadening its footprint on the global stage.