Korea’s KOSMOS-II precision medicine project wins top government award
The KOSMOS-II project by the Korean Society of Medical Oncology (KSMO) received national recognition for advancing precision medicine and patient care, earning the Minister of Health and Welfare Award.
KOSMOS-II is a study that uses next-generation sequencing (NGS) to develop individualized treatment strategies for patients with metastatic solid tumors who have failed standard treatments. As of November 2025, 910 patients have been enrolled across 30 institutions nationwide, achieving a 91 percent target attainment rate.
The Minister of Health and Welfare Award and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) President's Award recognized KOSMOS-II at the 2025 Biohealth–Global Open Innovation Week at L-Tower in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, on Nov. 11.
KHIDI hosted the event, co-organized by KSMO, the Korean Cancer Study Group (KCSG), the National Cancer Center, and KHIDI, to discuss the achievements and next steps for the precision medicine partnership among government, academia, and industry.
KOSMOS-II is a leading Korean precision medicine study using NGS to recommend personalized treatments for metastatic solid tumor patients unresponsive to standard care. The project is supported by the National Cancer Center's Cancer Conquest Promotion R&D Project.
Thirty-two institutions enrolled patients (two ended early), with 910 participants providing consented genomic data. A Molecular Tumor Board of experts gives each patient personalized treatment advice.
At this event, Professor Kim Ji-hyun (Seoul National University Bundang Hospital) and Professor Lee Soo-hyeon (Korea University Anam Hospital) received the Minister of Health and Welfare Award, while Professor Kim Tae-yong (Seoul National University Hospital) and Professor Kim Sun-young (Asan Medical Center) received the KHIDI President's Award.
They were recognized for building Korea's precision medicine infrastructure through patient registration, the operation of Molecular Tumor Boards, and clinical data analysis.
This award signifies how a precision medicine partnership between academia and government has directly improved patient care — beyond recognizing individual achievements, according to KSMO.
KOSMOS-II earned high praise for gathering rare genetic mutation data and directly linking this resource to the domestic pharmaceutical and bio industries, contributing to real-world advancements in personalized medicine for Korean patients.
The Molecular Tumor Board model is slated to become Korea’s standard for precision medicine.
The KSMO and KCSG, as the lead institutions for the KOSMOS-II study, oversee the entire research process — from study design to nationwide network establishment, setting up the Molecular Tumor Board operational framework, and standardizing data across participating institutions.
The goal is to link the genomic data generated by this study with the domestic biohealth industry and incorporate the results into clinical practice guidelines to foster a Korean personalized medicine ecosystem.
“KOSMOS-II combines Korea's clinical capabilities and genomic analysis technology to open new treatment pathways for patients with intractable cancers,” KSMO Chairman Park Joon-oh said. “We will leverage the accumulated data to strengthen domestic new drug development and global precision medicine collaboration.”