IVI, Gangwon sign MOU on vaccine research

The International Vaccine Institute and Gangwon Provincial Government yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on joint projects and on the research and development at IVI`s headquarters in Seoul.

IVI and Scripps Korea Antibody Institute agreed to conduct a joint project to develop vaccines and antibody treatment for infectious diseases. SKAI, based in Gangwon, is the Korean operation of the U.S.-based Scripps Research Institute, a world-leading medical research facility in the field of basic biomedical sciences.



IVI officials expect the MOU to generate synergy in collaboration with a number of research centers in the province.

Last year, the Korean unit of the Battelle Institute, an American research and certification organization was launched in Chuncheon, the provincial capital city. The Seoul National University Wide River Institute of Systems and Immunology plans to open in the province in 2011, with the SNU Natural Products Medicine Research Institute scheduled for next year.

The northeastern province of Gangwon boasts a well-developed infrastructure for the medical industry. The biomedical industry cluster in Chuncheon accommodates some 75 biomedical companies. Also, a total of 85 medical equipment companies are located at the Wonju Medical Industry Techno Valley, which makes up 30 percent of the nation`s medical device exports.

The IVI is the world`s only international organization devoted exclusively to developing and introducing new and improved vaccines to protect the world`s poorest people, especially children in developing countries.

Established as an initiative of the United Nations Development Program in 1997, the IVI operates under a treaty signed by 40 countries and the World Health Organization.

(jylee@heraldm.com)



By Lee Ji-yoon