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A respected voice in the field of biotechnology, Dr. Hamo serves as a senior research scientist with Medical Technology Innovation. In this position, he aims to bridge the gap between medicine and engineering to deliver advanced health care monitoring options. Dr. Hamo takes great pride in designing, …

With the Olympic Games concluding this week in South Korea, the pomp and circumstances in Pyeongchang are certainly emblematic of the country’s place as an influencer on the global stage. However, the country has focused on more than winter sports these last few years. They have also developed a golden biotech industry focused on strong commercialization and global partnerships. With roughly 5% of the country’s GDP spent on R&D, the industry breakdown consists of 34% in the human health.

Over the past 25 years, multi-ministerial coordination and the realignment of industrial systems to facilitate R&D have bolstered the country to be a leading developer in the region. The Korean government designated biotechnology as a key component of the country’s development strategy in the early 1980s. With the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology, traditional manufacturing and research practices transitioned to focus on more advanced technologies. With this new priority, legislation supporting innovation and biotechnology flourished. The government’s passage of the Genetic Engineering Promotion Law in 1983, known today as the Biotechnology Promotion Law, reinforced South Korea’s strong foundation for the biosciences developments to come.

However, it was not just government support that formed the industry’s solid foundation. The establishment of research-based innovative associations in the 1990s, reinforced the strength of the growing industry. With associations such as Korean Genetic Engineering Research Association, known today as Korea Biotechnology Research Association (KBRA), and other institutions such as Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology, Bioindustry Association of Korea (BAK), and Korea Bio Venture Association (KoBioVen) paving the way, South Korea set out to make a big impact. In 2008, these three major Korean biotech associations joined forces, founding a new larger united association known as the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization (Korea BIO) that supports both the bio-industry community and government.

Thriving academic institutions and an increased commitment to higher education also play a critical role in South Korea’s race to become a major player in the biotech field. South Korea is among the highest spenders on higher education of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The country also yields among the region’s top performers in mathematics, reading, and science- specifically in the life sciences industry. With over 5% of the country’s GDP spent on education in advanced degrees, South Korea’s education infrastructure has proven to take care of its own. Fostering an education ecosystem that privileges life science development has encouraged innovative life science breakthroughs.

The symbiotic relationship between government, local associations, and educational institutions has fueled the country’s engine for biosciences development. With the cooperation of these three forces, South Korea’s national R&D expenditure in biotechnology grew nearly 40-fold to over $311 million from the 1980s to mid-1990s.

But nothing was a bigger turning point in South Korea’s biotech history than The Basic Plan for the Promotion of Biotechnology in 1994. Despite its name, this plan was anything but basic. This national biotechnology plan shifted the tide for the country’s competitive edge. Since putting forth the Basic Plan for the Promotion of Biotechnology, government investment has increased at an average rate of over 24% annually until 2008.

This significant investment in R&D yielded powerful results. By 2004, there were over 500 South Korean companies using biotechnology in their businesses. Within these companies, there also was an interest to shift from producing generic branded drugs to increased focus on new drug discovery.

Government investment only continued to intensify moving forward. With over $5 billion invested in the industry infrastructure from 2004-2007, the country moved to rank 7^th among 59 countries and regions in the 2007 global competitiveness ranks by the International Institute for Management and Development (IMD). Investment grew even further in 2005 with the government investing an addition $1.4 billion into biotechnology.

Just when we thought there couldn’t be more investment, in 2006, the South Korean government established Bio-Vision 2016, which set the goal of making the country a global biotechnology leader. With goals to strengthen multi-ministerial coordination, develop advanced industrial infrastructure, promote a culture of research integrity and bioethics, and achieve innovative breakthroughs, the bar was set high. But with investment in biotechnology led by six Korean Ministries, including that of Education, Science and Technology; Knowledge Economy; Health and Welfare; Food, Agriculture, Forestry; Environment; and Land, Transport & Maritime Affairs, the country was well equipped to meet those goals.

The benefits of Bio-Vision 2016 were immediate. Within a year, the country’s Technology Strength (TS) index ranking improved to no. 13 in 2007, showing immediate improvement from no. 17 between 1998 and 2001. Effects of the policy also shifted industry towards regenerative medicine research, growing their medical devices industry, and expanding R&D capacity.

In March 2012, the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) was established, and with it both countries agreed to provisions to facilitate high-quality health care and improve access to safe and effective innovative and generic pharmaceutical products. Implementation of KORUS has led to various policy improvements, including regulatory data protection and intellectual property enforcement, although there remain strong concerns on South Korea’s implementation of its intellectual property rights and pricing and reimbursement commitments.

With the strengthening industrial capacity and growing support from local associations, South Korea developed a balanced regional and national system that supported biotech clusters throughout the country. These established hubs became epicenters of innovation with a goal of making regional economic development self-sustaining and self-reliant.

This environment propelled the biotech industry to what it is today. South Korea is one of the most aggressive countries in the region for the development of biosimilars, with the government setting an ambitious goal of providing 22% of global biosimilars supply by 2020. That said, ask anyone in the pharma business in South Korea what’s next and the overwhelming answer would be: expanding global partnerships and making the country a global hub of biotechnology.

BIO continues to champion the progress being made in Asia and recognizes that global collaborations are critical to not only South Korea’s success, but also those of global stakeholders seeking to find investment and licensing partners in country. To foster those cross-border partnerships, BIO is hosting its 15^th annual BIO Asia International Conference on March 19-20, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan. This year, we will feature a dedicated session entitled Market Outlook-Investor Priorities and Structuring Cross-Border Financing and look forward to welcoming Korean biotechs including:

• Eone-Diagnomics Genome Center
• 1ST Biotherapeutics, Inc.
• OliX Pharmaceuticals
• MyGenomeBox Co.,Ltd
• SIWON Intellectual Property Firm
• Y-Biologics Inc.
• Gyeongsang National University
• SPARK Korea, Korea University
• Chungnam National University
• Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
• NGeneBio Co., Ltd.
• Samsung BioLogics
• IMGT Corp.
• Konkuk University
• Standigm
• Pharos I&BT Co., Ltd
• Kolon Life Science

To learn more about this exclusive partnering forum focused on doing business in the current Asia-Pacific business and policy environments, visit www.bio.org/asia.

South Korea’s rich history of support for the biotech field provides the country a favorable platform to address the challenges ahead. Accordingly, we anxiously watch as South Korea continues to help us make biotech history!

It looks as though the Super Mario Odyssey Balloon World update is coming to Switch this week. The Nintendo Australia website momentarily showed a listing saying the new free update would be available for download this Friday, February 23. IGN has reached out to Nintendo for comment on this information.
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Over the last decade, I’ve become increasingly conscious of maintaining my cardiovascular health, making dietary changes and keeping my blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check. Heart disease is preventable and taking sensible steps can help a person dodge the number one killer in our country.

It’s true that heart disease kills more Americans than any other cause, including cancer, and it claims more lives than strokes, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, influenza, pneumonia and accidents combined.

One in four U.S. deaths is attributable to heart disease, but at least 200,000 of those could be prevented each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC says high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and smoking are the three leading causes of heart disease. In addition to putting down the cigarettes, one of the best ways to stay heart-healthy is to eat food low in trans-fat, saturated fat, sodium and sugar. Also, everyone should strive for at least 2 ½ hours of physical activity to get you heart pumping, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Heart disease, of course, can lead to heart attacks. Life-threatening coronary events often seem to come on suddenly and unexpectedly, but the cardiovascular disease that produces heart attacks is usually the product of a gradual buildup. That’s why it’s important – and potentially life-saving – to know the warning signs of a heart attack.

You may have heard stories of people who suffered a heart attack but didn’t know as it was occurring. That’s because some symptoms are not readily associated with the heart.  Almost half of sudden cardiac deaths occur outside a hospital, according to the CDC, suggesting many people may not be acting on early warning signs. The more time that goes by without seeking help from a medical professional, the greater the damage can be to the heart muscle. Doctors says it’s crucial to get to the hospital within 90 minutes of a heart attack to ensure blood flow is restored to the heart.

One classic symptom of a heart attack is pain radiating down the left side of the body.  Feeling dizzy or lightheaded – along with chest discomfort – are other potential indicators. However, symptoms of a heart attack can differ based on gender. Women sometimes describe severe exhaustion, fainting spells and headaches, while men can report nausea, indigestion, heartburn and even stomach pain. Other signs of a possible heart attack include swollen legs, sweating, a coughing fit, and feeling fatigued after doing something you had no problem with in the past, such as climbing stairs.

High cholesterol levels can increase the risk of heart attack. When there is a high amount of cholesterol in our bloodstream, an excess amount can find its way into the arteries. Eventually, it can harden into plaque causing atherosclerosis, which has the potential to prevent blood flow to the heart.

Encouragingly, the death rate from heart disease has fallen by 39 percent over the past decade, and biomedical innovation is a big reason why. In a single year in America, cholesterol-lowering statins save 40,000 lives, prevent 60,000 heart attacks, and avert 22,000 strokes. More than one in five Americans between the ages of 40 and 75 – myself included – currently take a statin to lower their cholesterol and risk of heart attack or stroke.

Researchers are also studying how reducing inflammation can reduce the risk of a heart attack. This past summer Novartis made a splash when the results of a Phase III study revealed that targeting inflammation with a drug called canakinumab reduced major adverse cardiovascular events in people with a prior heart attack.

“The results are exciting because we now have clear evidence that in addition to lowering cholesterol, targeting inflammation reduces patients’ risk of cardiovascular disease, and perhaps even lung cancer,” said Dr. Paul Ridker, who chaired the study.

“Bad” cholesterol, known as LDL, is still the single most important risk factor for developing heart disease. In the last two years, statins have been paired with a new medication called PCSK9 inhibitors that can lower cholesterol by as much as 60 percent.  They target a known protein that destroys LDL receptors, which sit on the surface of liver cells and remove cholesterol from the blood. High-intensity statins reduce cholesterol by up to 50 percent, but if a PCSK9 inhibitor is added, cholesterol levels are reduced even more.

February is American Heart Month. As the biotechnology sector continues to explore and pioneer new approaches in the fight against heart disease, be sure to encourage your loved ones to take control of their diets, medication management and physical activity to increase their odds of living longer, happier and healthier lives.

For the past 30 years, every organism improved using modern biotechnology methods, no matter how innocuous, has been regulated as if it were potentially hazardous. The price of compliance with such fear-based regulation has been huge – more than $100 million for a single biotech crop. And it can …

It is an underreported fact that the time it takes for a generic medicine to come to market has remained steady at approximately 13.5 years for over two decades. And, once entering the market, generics are acquiring greater market share, faster than ever before.

That’s why BIO is releasing its a new infographic, which highlights the highly successful effects of the Hatch-Waxman Act and the role it has played in balancing innovation and competition, as Congress intended.

BIO supports continued FDA initiatives to improve first-cycle generic approval rates, as this problem is the biggest barrier to more generic entry.

Puma Biotechnology logo Chartwell Investment Partners LLC lessened its holdings in Puma Biotechnology Inc (NASDAQ:PBYI) by 8.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,098 shares of the …

The lint filter in your dryer doesn’t catch it all! So sometimes a deep-clean of your dryer’s lint trap is essential to keep it working at top performance. This article gives you the steps to do it right.

As biotechnology continues to drive advancement in the way we grow and consume food, consumer skepticism around biotechnology remains steady. As I alluded to in Science Over Fiction: GMOS for Public Good, consumer skepticism is largely derived from misconceptions around the science behind biotechnology.

For example, take the following survey results as noted in a piece from Agri-Pulse titled Are consumer ready to accept gene editing?

A Michigan State University Food Literacy and Engagement Poll asked 1,059 U.S. adults last summer, for example, if this statement is true: “Genetically modified foods have genes and non-genetically modified foods do not,” and 37 percent agreed, showing that many people just don’t know what genes or GMOs are.

More concerning, however, are the results from another survey mentioned in the piece, in which Americans were asked if they want mandatory labeling of DNA in foods.

The result: 80 percent said yes. Obviously, those respondents did not understand that DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is an essential part of all living organisms – organic, non-GMO or GMO.

What’s intriguing, however, is the fact that most people (59 percent) “expressed at least some support for human genome editing to treat human medical conditions or restore health.”

This mix of opinions affirm the notion that many perceptions about biotechnology and food are based on misunderstanding and fear. As we touched on in When Food Companies Use Lies (and Children!) to Fool Consumers, the organic industry has found success in generating fear among the public when it comes to biotechnology in food. But, when consumers start to think about biotechnology’s benefit to their own health, perceptions seem to change.

Gene editing carries many of the same promises that gene modification does, but will consumers fall victim to fearmongering or will they begin to understand the science behind it and accept this promising technology?

Read the full piece here.