[Good Brain 2023] Kang Seongji "DTx is an evolving medical device... 'Predictive Medicine' is possible"

2023 Good Brain Conference
Kang Sungji, CEO of Welt
Keynote Speech on 'The Present and Future of DTx'

"Digital Therapeutic Devices (DTx) are evolving medical devices. They must be continuously updated to prove their efficacy and safety."

Kang Sung-ji, CEO of Welt, is giving a lecture on "The Present and Future of Digital Therapeutic Devices" at the "Good Brain 2023 Conference" held on the 20th at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Kang Sung-ji, CEO of Welt, said at the ‘2023 Good Brain Conference’ held by Asia Economy on the 20th at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, in a lecture titled 'The Present and Future of DTx,' "Major overseas DTx players evaluate that Korea is leading global DTx," adding, "As a digital powerhouse, Korea has the optimal environment for the evolution of DTx, so I think it’s worth trying." He mentioned this as a way forward.

CEO Kang emphasized, "Just as people often say that playing Go-Stop might help with dementia, I think DTx probably started from the imagination of treating dementia," and added, "It’s not just about forgetfulness, but measuring how much it is worsening. Things that were only imagined verbally are now becoming practical treatment options with the emergence of the term DTx."

Regarding choosing insomnia as the first disease, he emphasized the point of 'beginning.' Kang said, "Although insomnia is the mildest disease, it exists as a fundamental element of other serious diseases like dementia," and explained, "By addressing this and understanding the phenomenon, we chose it as a starting point to target more difficult diseases."

Welt's Insomnia Treatment DTx 'Welt-I'
Photo by Welt

Having received approval for 'Welt-I' as the second domestic DTx in April and preparing for its actual prescription, CEO Kang focused his remarks on the 'practical use of DTx' that day. He said, "There are many insomnia DTx products worldwide, and the scientific evidence is all similar, which means this is the answer, but at the same time, it raises concerns about tough competition," adding, "The solution is not patents but understanding patients and updating accordingly." At the same time, Kang stressed, "DTx is an evolving medical device, and DTx that is not updated becomes dead DTx," and "It must continuously update based on proving efficacy and safety, as well as user usage patterns and data."

CEO Kang presented widely used digital devices such as smartphones and smartwatches as the means to leverage the personalized nature of DTx. He said, "When you take a nap, you don’t use your phone, and when you buy coffee, a payment message arrives, so smartphones and watches receive everyday data," adding, "We want to reinterpret this data for therapeutic purposes."

However, regarding the separate creation of dedicated devices, he drew a line, saying, "That would be dystopian and could stigmatize patients." Kang explained, "It’s good to inform symptoms, but that should be done in laboratories," and added, "We want to reorganize already existing hardware to fit the purpose."

The future of DTx that CEO Kang ultimately envisions through this is 'predictive medicine.' He emphasized, "Using DTx, if a dementia patient goes beyond their usual activity range, an alarm can be sent to the caregiver, or a family photo can be displayed every morning to help preserve old memories," and added, "Through continuous evolution, DTx will function to fill the blind spots of existing medical care."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.