Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital

Hallym University Medical Center’s 6th Hallym-Uppsala International Symposium ended with a resounding success, paving a way for leading scholars from Korea and Sweden to share their expertise in stem cell and regenerative medicine.

Under the theme of “Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine,” medical scholars from Hallym University and Uppsala University freely exchanged their knowledge and research outcomes in diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, neurodevelopmental disorders, stem cell and regenerative medicine which all are now regarded as crucial fields for next generation medicine by experts.

The 6th joint symposium, which was held at Rudbeck Laboratory in Uppsala University, Sweden, on May 23, 2014, has attracted over 80 professors, lecturers and graduate students.

A six-member Hallym medical delegation headed by Yong-Sun Kim, Executive Vice President of Health and Biomedical Sciences visited Uppsala for the symposium. Among the Hallym’s key delegates include Dr. Wook Chun, Professor of Burn Surgery and Dr. Sung-Hee Ihm, Professor of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Dept. of Internal Medicine.

From Uppsala’s side, President Emeritus Anders Hallberg, President Eva Åkesson, Dean Emeritus of the Faculty of Medicine Kjell Öberg, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Anders Malmberg were among key participants who attended the joint conference.

Aside from symposium, the leadership of Hallym and Uppsala agreed to further solidify the bilateral cooperation on basic and clinical medicine to better prepare for future medicine.

Since singing an affiliation agreement in 2008, the two institutions have collaborated on a series of annual symposiums to address the latest issues in medicine and surgery. Hallym also has been working closely with the Swedish counterpart in faculty exchange and student exchange.

Uppsala University, founded in 1477, is the oldest university in Scandinavia, northern Europe. The Swedish university remains as one of the world’s leading institutions that is known to have a strong presence in science and medicine in both basic science and clinical research. It also has played an essential role in shaping the Swedish culture and identity

The specific programs of the symposium including speakers and topics are as follows:

■Session 1
1. Islet cytoprotection strategies for improving the transplantation outcome
(Sung-Hee Ihm, MD, PhD, Professor, Div. of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Hallym University)
2. Replacement therapies in Type 1 Diabetes
(Olle Korsgren, MD, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University)
3. Interaction between IKKγ and RhoA GTPase is essential for NF-kB activation
(Jae-Bong Park, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Biochemistry, Hallym University)

■Session 2
4. The origin of the tumor vasculature
(Lena Claesson Welsh, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University)
5. Studying disease mechanisms with induced pluripotent stem cells derived from familial Parkinson disease patients
(Dong Chul Kang, PhD, Professor, Ilsong Institute of Life Science, Hallym University)
6. Modeling neurodevelopmental disorders using induced pluripotent stem cells
(Niklas Dahl, MD, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University)

■Session 3
7. Development of cell-laden 3D scaffold for Engineered Skin Substitute
(Wook Chun, MD, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Burn Surgery, Hallym University)
8. Challenges with growth factor engineering of bone
(Jöns Hilborn, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Chemistry, Uppsala University)

■Session 4
9. Oct4 maintains head and neck squamous carcinoma stem-like cell traits
(Woo Jin Bae, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Dept. of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Hallym University)
10. Brain tumor stem cells as a tool for research and drug discovery
(Karin Forsberg-Nilsson, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University)

By Miju Kim, Int’l Cooperation Team, HUMC (miju@hallym.or.kr)