LifeStyle

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  [Coronavirus] State research body selects two firms for development of vaccine and medicine SEOUL -- The research body of South Korea's state health agency officially selected two major biotech companies, SK Bioscience and Celltrion, as cooperation partners for its project to develop preventive vaccines and medicine for the treatment of patients infected with a new coronavirus. The Korea National Institute of Health said it would support nonclinical and clinical trials when candidate materials with proven efficacy are selected. Celltrion will develop m 2020-03-26
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  [Coronavirus] Survey shows 15% of COVID-19 patients losing sense of smell or taste: Yonhap SEOUL -- About 15 percent of South Korean coronavirus patients said they lost their sense of smell or taste, a survey showed, in a possible indication that loss of smell or taste may be an early sign of virus infection. According to the telephone survey by doctors in the virus-hit city of Daegu, 15.3 percent of 3,191 virus patients, or 488 patients, said they lost their sense of smell or taste. It is not unusual for patients infected with a respiratory virus to have su 2020-03-25
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  S.Korea works on standardized performance certification of mobile negative-pressure equipment SEOUL -- South Korea's machinery technology research institute joined hands with private companies to lay down standards for the performance certification of mobile negative-pressure equipment that played a crucial role in examining and treating patients infected with a novel coronavirus. Negative-pressure ventilation is the primary mode of assisted ventilation for patients with acute respiratory failure. COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization will be pl 2020-03-25
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  [INTERVIEW] Hospital head urges S. Korea to revamp medical and quarantine systems SEOUL -- A global coronavirus pandemic is not temporary, a medical professional warned, urging South Korea to work out a long-term strategy by revamping its medical and quarantine systems and allowing regional hub hospitals to serve as control towers for the efficient treatment of patients infected with a highly contagious virus. South Korea appears to be containing an epidemic relatively earlier than other countries, Myongji Hospital Chairman Lee Wang-jun said in an i 2020-03-23
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  [Coronavirus] Researchers develop recyclable mask with nanofiber filter SEOUL -- South Korean researchers have developed a recyclable mask using a nanofiber filter that maintains efficiency even after washing more than 20 times. Mass-production is possible if state approval comes. The nanofiber filter mask was developed by a research team led by Kim Il-doo, a materials science and engineering professor at the state-funded Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST). A nanofiber filter was placed inside a cotton ma 2020-03-16
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  AmorePacific to attract customers with 3D-printed cosmetic mask packs SEOUL -- South Korea's top beauty product maker AmorePacific has adopted 3D printing to instantly produce tailored skincare facial mask packs that will be available first in April at the company's flagship store in the center of Seoul frequented by foreign tourists. AmorePacific's cosmetic brand, Iope, said in a statement on Monday that its staff would measure the shape of each customer's face using 3D technology and create mask packs with 3D prin 2020-03-16
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  Cosmax unveils new sunscreen based on material originating from space station SEOUL -- Cosmax, a cosmetics original development manufacturer in South Korea, has unveiled new sun care cosmetics by applying a bio-microbial material named "Solarbiome" based on a set of strains found in a NASA project to study effects and responses of space light. Reviewing NASA's EXPOSE-E project, a Cosmax research team discovered the strains called Bacillus sp. and Deinococcus sp that survived on the surface of a space station and in ultravio 2020-03-16
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  [FOCUS] Coronavirus epidemic provides chance to test telemedicine in connected society SEOUL -- Telehealth is still in the experimental stage, but a new coronavirus epidemic has created a rare opportunity for doctors to test it in a country well-known for an advanced medical system and an ultra-fast mobile telecom network that opened a connected society. In Mungyeong, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) southeast of Seoul, a training institute run by Seoul National University (SNU) Hospital, one of South Korea's oldest and biggest hospitals, was tu 2020-03-13
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  S. Korean firms develop eco-friendly 'wood plastic' cosmetic container SEOUL -- In line with a global campaign to reduce plastic waste and promote the use of bioplastics, Peripera, a makeup brand in South Korea, has unveiled an eco-friendly cosmetic case for its popular shadow palette consisting of eight daily colors. This is the first use of "wood plastic" to develop a cosmetic container in South Korea. Peripera said on Friday that the wood-plastic cosmetic container was the result of cooperation with SK Chemical and Daedon 2020-03-06
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  KT&G forges partnership with Philip Morris to make foray into global heat-not-burn product device market SEOUL -- KT&G, a state-owned tobacco company in South Korea, forged a partnership with Philip Morris International, a global tobacco company, to release "Lil," a heat-not-burn product device brand, in the global market by the end of this year. KT&G said in a statement on Wednesday that it signed a three-year deal with Philip Morris International (PMI) to release four Lil models in about countries. KT&G and PMI are the two leading compani 2020-01-29
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  Samsung researchers develop non-invasive method for monitoring blood glucose levels SEOUL -- A research institute affiliated with Samsung Electronics has collaborated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to develop an effective non-invasive method for monitoring blood glucose levels by using a technique known as Raman spectroscopy. While conventional methods have required people with diabetes to prick their finger to extract blood drops, non-invasive alternatives minimize the pain and discomfort of patients. Raman spectroscopy is a 2020-01-29
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  South Korea reports first confirmed case of China's coronavirus. A notice about China's coronavirus is being posted at the entrance to the emergency room of Incheon Medical Center in the western port city of Incheon on January 20. South Korea reported the first confirmed case of the novel virus. SEOUL -- South Korea raised the level of its anti-epidemic alert after health authorities discovered the first confirmed case of China's coronavirus from a 35-year-old woman from Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel virus which has 2020-01-20
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  [CES 2020] S. Korean startup to unveil new portable tatoo device at CES SEOUL -- Prinker S, a new portable device developed by a South Korean startup to print temporary tattoos quickly onto human skin will be introduced at CES 2020, an annual trade show to be held in Las Vegas. It enhances user convenience and portability by lowering weight and price. Prinker S has reduced its weight to 340 grams from 483 grams and its price was lowered from $349 to $269. Developers said that a special cosmetic ink using FDA-approved ingredien 2020-01-03
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  [CES 2020] AmorePacific's new skincare treatments to be showcased at CES SEOUL -- South Korea's top cosmetics maker, AmorePacific, will demonstrate its ability as the developer of skincare beauty devices at an annual trade show in Las Vegas in January by unveiling a 3D printing system for tailored facial mask packs and a self-aesthetic flexible LED patch, which are ready for commercialization next year. AmorePacific has developed a customized mask pack manufacturing device using 3D printing technology, along with Lincsolut 2019-12-30
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  Bio start-up MedPacto aims to export anti-cancer drug technology in 2021 SEOUL -- MedPacto, a bio company in South Korea, aims to export technology related to its anti-cancer drug called "vactosertib" in 2021, saying the new drug would be used to develop personalized anti-cancer therapies based on biological markers. A biomarker can be a traceable substance that is introduced into an organism as a means to examine organ function or other aspects of health. "Recently, development trends for cancer drugs have changed, 2019-12-06
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  Hanmi partners with RAPT Therapeutics to develop and commercialize FLX475 for cancer treatment SEOUL -- As part of a campaign to regain reputation as a major drugmaker in South Korea, Hanmi Pharmaceutical signed a license and collaboration agreement with RAPT Therapeutics, an American clinical stage immunology-based biopharmaceutical company, to develop and commercialize FLX475 for the treatment of multiple cancers in Asia. FLX475 is a small molecule CCR4 antagonist designed to block the migration of regulatory T cells specifically into tumo 2019-12-04
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  SK's bio unit allowed to conduct clinical first phase test of new antii-epileptic drug SEOUL -- SK Biopharmaceuticals has received U.S. approval for the clinical first phase test of its new drug SKL24741, which would be the company's second treatment for epilepsy following Xcopri (cenobamate), a new anti-epileptic drug which would be available in the American market in the second quarter of next year. SK Biopharmaceuticals said Tuesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an investigational new drug (IND) 2019-12-03
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  Bio company Alteogen secures major deal to export human hyaluronidase technology SEOUL -- Alteogen, a bio company in South Korea, has clinched a deal with an unspecified global pharmaceutical company to export its human hyaluronidase technology called ALT-B4 that can replace intravenous drugs with subcutaneous ones. Alteogen said that ALT-B4 would be mixed with other biomedicine to develop and commercialize new products. The front payment is about 15.3 billion won ($12.9 million) and the contract's total value will be about 1.62 trillio 2019-12-02
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  S. Korea bans microbeads for toothpaste and detergents from 2021 SEOUL -- Microbeads will not be available for toothpaste and detergents from 2021 in South Korea in line with a global trend to regulate plastic particles that can cause water pollution and pose an environmental hazard for aquatic animals. Microbeads, which are manufactured solid plastic particles of less than one millimeter in their largest dimension, are added as an exfoliating agent to cosmetics and personal care products, such as soap, facial scrub and toothpas 2019-11-26
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  Celltrion acquires European approval to sell Remsima SC for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis SEOUL -- Celltrion, a bio firm in South Korea, has acquired final approval to sell Remsima SC, the subcutaneous injection of Remsima, a copy of Janssen Biotech's Remicade treating rheumatoid arthritis, in Europe, opening the way for worldwide distribution. The company plans to acquire U.S. approval in 2022. Celltrion said on Tuesday that the European Medicines Agency (EMA), an EU agency in charge of the evaluation and supervision of medicinal products, h 2019-11-26