Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital Participates in 34.2 Billion Won National R&D Projects

Expanding Clinical Experience in the Field through AI and Medical Data Technology
Accelerating the Establishment of a “Regionally Integrated Cancer Care System”

Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital is continuously participating in national research and development (R&D) projects aiming to establish a new regional cancer care system based on artificial intelligence (AI) and medical data.

(From left) Hyunjeong Shim, Professor at Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, and Hyungju Oh.

Through two national R&D projects with a total scale of 34.2 billion won, the hospital is working to expand the clinical experience accumulated in cancer care settings using AI and medical data technology, and to accelerate the establishment of a “regionally integrated cancer care system” where not only diagnosis and treatment but also follow-up management are provided locally.

Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital is participating in the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s new Korean-style ARPA-H project, “Establishment of a Regional Complete AI-based Cancer Management Integrated Network.” Led by Kangwon National University Hospital, this project includes a research team led by Professor Shin Hyunjung in the Department of Oncology at Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, focusing on the standardization of cancer clinical information and the development of an AI-based multidisciplinary collaboration and patient follow-up management system.

The core of this study is to standardize cancer care information and, based on this, establish a system for multidisciplinary collaboration and patient follow-up management utilizing AI. The aim is to move away from a structure in which cancer patients rely on major metropolitan hospitals for diagnosis and treatment, and instead create an environment where regional medical institutions provide continuous care and post-treatment management.

Additionally, the hospital will participate in the second Biohealth R&D program of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, in the field of "Bioindustry Technology Development for Digital Healthcare."

This project, forming the OnKoTECT consortium, aims to build a world-class cancer-specialized medical data warehouse and develop innovative software as a medical device (SaMD) for which no similar products currently exist.

At Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, the research will be led by Professor Oh Hyungjoo of the Department of Pulmonology. Through a consortium including Bundang Seoul National University Hospital (general project director: Kim Jaeyong, Director of Biomedical Research Institute), Samsung Medical Center, National Cancer Center, Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital, and Pusan National University Hospital, the goal is to establish the foundation for developing and clinically implementing digital health technologies that utilize large-scale cancer medical data.

Both projects share the goal of integrating clinical experience and medical data accumulated in cancer care with AI technology to drive transformative changes in regional cancer healthcare.

Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital plans to use this research as an opportunity to broaden the application of cancer medical data and strengthen its capabilities for data integration and standardization through multi-institutional collaboration.

In particular, the hospital is set to establish a foundation enabling various types of clinical cancer data to be used in research and technology development, thereby creating a virtuous cycle in which medical data is seamlessly linked to actual care and digital health technologies.

Furthermore, by combining its accumulated expertise in cancer care with digital technologies, the hospital will broaden the foundation for collaboration among regional medical institutions and strengthen the connection between clinical practices and research to ensure that research results are applied in medical settings.

Through these initiatives, Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital aims to enhance the quality level of regional cancer care and to secure competitiveness in the field of cancer-specialized digital health research.

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