CHA Bundang Medical Center (CBMC) has signed an agreement with Rutgers University, a prestigious public university in the United States, for joint research and technology development.

Rutgers University Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Prabhas V. Moghe, Professor Lee Ki-bum of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rutgers, and Professor Han In-bo of the Department of Neurosurgery at CHA University attended the signing ceremony at the U.S. university.

The two institutions will collaborate through the agreement in various fields, including exchanging data and materials for joint research on developing regenerative therapies for patients with intractable spinal diseases, conducting collaborative research projects, running educational programs, and commercializing the developed technologies, according to the Korean hospital.

Professor Han visited Rutgers University for four days from March 28 to discuss joint research projects with Professor Lee at Rutgers. Han also met with Dr. Lisa Lyu, head of technology transfer at Rutgers University, for efficient technology transfer developed through joint research.

Founded in 1766, Rutgers University in New Jersey is a prestigious public university in the U.S. and a research center in the Public Ivy League, conducting various biological research. Since 2018, Professors Han and Lee have conducted joint studies to develop tissue engineering treatments for intractable spinal diseases and published three papers on developing groundbreaking biomaterials for degenerative disc disease and excellent disc regeneration treatment effects, which have been published in the Biological Research Information Center (BRIC) “People Shining Korea.”

They have also applied for three U.S. patents to develop treatments using nanosheet-hydrogel composites and biogel compositions.

"The signing of this MOU will be an important stepping stone to further develop the technologies we have jointly developed step by step through the Korea-U.S. innovation and creation R&D project and advance them to global clinical trials," Professor Han said. We will strive to develop innovative tissue engineering agents to treat intractable spinal diseases.

CBMC, which was selected as a nationally designated research center in 2013, has established a balanced system of treatment and research and is conducting global collaborations with leading overseas institutions to develop globally competitive regenerative therapies.

It also researches rare and incurable diseases, including neurological, eye, and musculoskeletal diseases, cancer, infertility, and overcoming aging using stem cell and immune cell therapy technologies. It is positioning itself as a representative institution in Korea for research on rare, difficult, and severe therapies, according to CBMC.