LifeStyle

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  Semiconductor-based fast test kit using saliva able to debut in March: science minister SEOUL -- A semiconductor-based fast test kit capable of diagnosing COVID-19 with saliva in three minutes is able to make its commercial debut probably in March, South Korea's science minister said. Health officials have hinted at adopting easy sampling using saliva, although they still stick to a molecular biology technique that amplifies specific DNA samples for accuracy. South Korea is trying to unveil a "completely new concept" of test devices t 2021-02-22
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  U.S. research company Lifex works with S. Korea's Macrogen to develop Parkinson's disease treatment SEOUL -- Lifex Biolabs, an American pharmaceutical research company, will work with Macrogen, a biotech company and expert in genomic analysis in South Korea, to develop Parkinson's disease treatment as part of their strategic partnership. Macrogen said that it would select a biomarker, based on DNA sequencing technology. A biomarker is a measurable indicator of the severity or presence of some disease state. In 2020, Macrogen made a strategic investment in 2021-02-22
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  COVID-19 accelerates virtual experience shopping in fashion industry SEOUL -- Non-face-to-face consumption has become a new daily life due to a COVID-19 pandemic, accelerating the era of virtual experience shopping in South Korea's fashion industry which is striving to ride out a period of hardships by adopting new technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality. According to the National Statistical Office, online shopping transactions were up 19.1 percent on-year to a record high of 161.1 trillion won ($145 bi 2021-02-19
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  Genexine's joint venture in Indonesia allowed to use immunotherapeutic drug in ASEAN and elsewhere SEOUL -- Along with technology transfer, a joint venture of Indonesian pharmaceutical group Kalbe Farma and Genexine, a clinical-stage biotechnology company in South Korea, has been granted the right to use GX-I7, an immunotherapeutic drug candidate, in ASEAN, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. GX-I7 is in second-stage clinical trials to confirm o see if it is effective in the treatment of COVID-19. Genexine has said that GX-I7 showed good efficacy whe 2021-02-18
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  Russia's Sputnik vaccine draws attention ahead of new CMO deal in S. Korea SEOUL -- Sputnik V, a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Russia's state research center, was thrown into the spotlight ahead of a trip by Russian officials for discussion with a consignment production partner in South Korea. The trip underscores Russia's move to expand the production of its vaccine which is attracting attention from many countries after shedding an initial negative image. A Russian team involved in the development of Sputnik V is to visit South 2021-02-10
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  Genexine works with domestic partners to use cloned pigs for xenotransplantation SEOUL -- Genexine, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, will establish a cooperative system for clinical trials in cooperation with two domestic partners, GenNBio and ToolGen, for their joint research into xenotransplantation using genetically modified pigs. The rejection of animal organs in human bodies has been a major cause of transplant failure. Cloned pigs have been genetically modified for stable xeno-transplantation. ToolGen, a South Korean develope 2021-02-09
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  Russian vaccine mentioned as potential option for vaccination in S. Korea SEOUL -- South Korea's anti-epidemic control center left the door open for the introduction of Russia's Sputnik vaccine which largely failed to win international recognition because it was rolled out without final trial data on its efficacy and safety, as domestic developers make no visible progress in releasing home-made COVID-19 vaccines amid growing concerns over the relatively slow introduction of proven foreign products. "Regarding Russia's Sp 2021-02-08
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  Bukwang's COVID-19 treatment wins FDA approve to go ahead with second-phase clinical trials SEOUL -- Bukwang Pharm based in South Korea has won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to go ahead with second-phase clinical trials to check if its antiviral drug Levovir is effective and safe in treating COVID-19 patients. Levovir (clevudine) has been approved in South Korea and the Philippines as hepatitis B infection treatment. Except for severe symptoms, 40 patients will be injected with Levovir and placebo. In South Korea, Bukwang 2021-02-05
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  Celltrion's antibody COVID-19 treatment wins approval from S. Korean state watchdog SEOUL -- South Korea's drug safety watchdog approved Celltrion's antibody treatment code-named CT-P59, which has been developed as an intravenous injection for patients. It became South Korea's first treatment for COVID-19. As CT-P59 has the advantage of forming antibodies immediately after administration, medical personnel and other vulnerable people will be able to prevent infections. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety decided to grant permission o 2021-02-05
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  Experts give conditional consent to AstraZeneca's vaccine for people over 65 SEOUL -- South Korean experts gave conditional consent to the use of British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine for old people over the age of 65, saying that preventive effects have been confirmed in all age groups, along with a good safety profile. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has consulted an advisory group of eight experts to address concerns that the AstraZeneca vaccine, created in conjunction with the University of Oxford, could be 2021-02-01
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  Canada approves Celltrion's subcutaneous injection for rheumatoid arthritis indication SEOUL -- Celltrion's Remsima SC, the subcutaneous injection of Remsima, a copy of Janssen Biotech's Remicade treating rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease, has secured approval from Canada's state health watchdog. Celltrion saw the green light as a bridgehead for its entry into the United States. Remsima SC can be injected into the fat layer beneath the skin at home. Celltrion, a leading biosimilar manufacturer in South Korea, said on Feb 2021-02-01
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  GC Labcell exports original technology for U.S. deal to develop cell therapies SEOUL -- GC Labcell, a manufacturer of cell therapy products in South Korea, will export its original platform technology and participates in joint research with its U.S. partner under a deal with Merck, an American pharmaceutical company, to develop novel chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer cell therapies targeting solid tumor-associated antigens. GC Labcell said in a regulatory filing on January 29 that Artiva Biotherapeutics, a San Diego-based oncol 2021-01-29
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  ToolGen ties up with 3D bioprinting company to apply induced pluripotent stem cells to gene correction SEOUL -- ToolGen, a South Korean developer of genome editing technology, tied up with T&R Biofab, a 3D bioprinting company, to cooperate in applying induced pluripotent stem cells to gene correction. ToolGen has original technology related to third-generation gene scissors to cut out genetic information in cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are derived from skin or blood cells that have been reprogrammed back into an embryonic-like pluripotent 2021-01-28
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  SK Bioscience selected to manage COVID-19 vaccine distribution in S. Korea SEOUL -- SK Bioscience, a cooperation partner for South Korea's state project to develop COVID-19 vaccines, has been selected to manage the nationwide distribution of vaccines that will be imported sequentially from February. The company will establish an integrated control center based on Internet of Things (IoT). SK Bioscience will establish a customized cold chain system for each vaccine and monitor temperature and delivery in real-time through coop 2021-01-22
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  S. Korea approves clinical trials for 7th COVID-19 vaccine candidate SEOUL -- Clinical trials to test the efficacy and safety of a recombinant COVID-19 vaccine candidate being developed by Eubiologics, a biopharmaceutical company and vaccine developer in South Korea, won state approval. It is the seventh COVID-19 vaccine candidate in a developmental state in South Korea. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said in a statement on January 21 that clinical trials for Eubiologics' vaccine candidate codenamed "Eucorvac 2021-01-21
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  S. Korean hospital opens colonofiberscope center installed with AI medical software SEOUL -- A South Korean hospital opened a colonofiberscope center installed with Dr. Answer, an artificial intelligence-based smart medical software that has been developed in a state-sponsored project to support the prediction and diagnosis of diseases. The Ministry of Science and ICT said that a ceremony was held on January 18 to open a colonofiberscope center installed with Dr. Answer at the Gachon University Gil Medical Center in the port city of Incheo 2021-01-18
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  Hanmi Pharmaceutical unveils quick COVID-19 antigen test kit SEOUL -- Hanmi Pharmaceutical, a major drugmaker in South Korea, will release a quick COVID-19 antigen test kit in early February in the domestic market. It is good for the early diagnosis of suspected respiratory infections because test results can be shown in 30 minutes by dropping samples taken from the nasal cavity to the kit like pregnancy diagnosis. Hanmi said its COVID-19 quick test has received emergency use authorization from the World 2021-01-18
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  LG Chem secures $80 mln deal to supply poliovirus vaccine thru UNICEF SEOUL -- LG Chem has secured a deal worth $80 million to supply its poliovirus vaccine Eupolio through UNICEF, a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. Eupolio is the first Sabin inactivated poliovirus vaccine pre-qualified by the World Health Organization. LG Chem said in a statement on January 7 that it would start supplying Eupolio to more than 70 countries in February, focusing on the Middl 2021-01-07
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  Researchers develop nonevasive electroceutical to diagnose premature birth SEOUL -- South Korean researchers have developed an electroceutical that can diagnose and treat premature birth at an early date. An electroceutical is an electronic device designed to affect biological systems in such a fashion as to alleviate or mitigate symptomatology or pathology. Electroceuticals are a new category of therapeutic agents that act by targeting the neural circuits of organs. The state-run Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) said re 2021-01-07
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  Researchers detect antibodies 8 months after COVID-19 infection in asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic persons SEOUL -- Despite concerns of waning immunity, appropriate immunoassays can detect antibodies eight months after COVID-19 infection in most asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic persons, a study by South Korean researchers showed. They said that information about the longevity of humoral immunity is essential for predicting herd immunity and interpreting seroepidemiologic data. A research team involving Park Wan-beom and others from Seoul National University College o 2021-01-05