Seoul National University Hospital ranked No. 1 in Korea in a global assessment of cancer research competitiveness.
Seoul National University Hospital said on Apr. 21 that it ranked No. 1 in Korea and 67th worldwide in the "Nature Index 2026 Cancer: Leading 200 healthcare institutions."
The Nature Index is an indicator that evaluates research contribution by institution based on papers published in major journals in the natural sciences and health sciences. In addition to the number of papers, it incorporates "Share," which reflects author-level contribution, to comprehensively measure research quality and the level of collaboration.
In cancer research from 2021 to 2025, Seoul National University Hospital recorded a contribution of 35.73, 231 papers, and a 31.3% share of its total research, showing top-tier performance in Korea.
The hospital cited as the backdrop for these results: ▲ an AI-based medical data platform ▲ global-level clinical trial capabilities for anticancer drugs ▲ a research ecosystem combining next-generation cell therapy technologies.
Seoul National University Hospital is advancing its Precision Medicine framework by building SNUH.AI, which supports clinical workflows; KMed.AI, a large language model specialized for medicine; and SNUH POLARIS, a clinical decision support system. It has also secured competitiveness in phase 1 clinical trials, a key stage in early anticancer drug development.
From 2015 to 2020, the hospital conducted a total of 945 clinical trials for anticancer drugs, demonstrating top-tier global infrastructure. In cell therapy, it is expanding translational research based on a GMP facility that enables in-hospital production of CAR-T therapies. CAR-T therapy is a personalized cell therapy that genetically engineers a patient's immune T cells to recognize and attack cancer cells. CAR means "chimeric antigen receptor."
Kim Young-tae, president of Seoul National University Hospital, said, "This is a meaningful achievement created by our medical staff and researchers despite a challenging environment," adding, "We will continue to lead the global paradigm of cancer treatment."
Meanwhile, four Korean medical institutions were included in this assessment. Seoul National University Hospital (67th), Asan Medical Center (71st), Yonsei University Health System (119th), and National Cancer Center (117th) made the list.