LifeStyle

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  ​Busan to build air-purifying indoor gardens capable of purifying air at bus terminal and airport SEOUL -- South Korea's southern port city of Busan will establish smart gardens with plants capable of removing indoor air pollutants at a bus terminal visited by many intercity buses and an airport in the western region. The southern port city said the indoor gardens can reduce particulate matter and other pollutants in such crowded areas. Smart gardens incorporate internet of things (IoT) technology to control air quality, wind speed, and water distribution to plants. Peopl 2023-02-21
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  Hybe's digital cartoon 'Dark Moon: The Blood Altar' garners more than 100 million views SEOUL -- "Dark Moon: The Blood Altar," a digital cartoon created by the agency of BTS and published by Naver Webtoon, the web cartoon wing of South Korea's top web portal service operator Naver, has gained more than 100 million views since it was released 13 months ago. The web cartoon entered the top five in seven language services including German, Spanish, English, and Chinese. The web cartoon depicts the story of a unique relationship between a teenage girl attend 2023-02-01
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  CGBio unveils skin trouble care patch as first of microneedle pipeline SEOUL -- CGBio, a total healthcare provider in South Korea, has unveiled a skin trouble care patch as the first of its microneedle pipeline. Microneedles or microneedle patches are made from a variety of materials ranging from silicon, titanium, stainless steel, and polymers to increase the diffusivity of drugs to the stratum corneum by creating micron-size pores in the skin. With the launch of its skin trouble care patch named "CGDew Dermaregen," GBio aims to release f 2022-11-14
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  HK inno.N signs CMO contract to produce clinical trial drugs for stem cell-derived organoid treatments SEOUL -- HK inno.N, a bio-health company in South Korea, will carry out the consignment production of clinical trial drugs for stem cell-derived organoid treatments under development by Cell in Cells, a domestic bio company which has a pipeline of stem cell-derived regenerative organoid treatments for various diseases. An organoid is a miniaturized and simplified version of an organ produced in vitro in three dimensions that shows realistic micro-anatomy. Organoids are derived from 2022-11-02
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  SK Bioscience receives $140 million CEPI fund to develop mRNA vaccine platform SEOUL -- SK Bioscience, the developer of South Korea's first homemade COVID-19 vaccine, will receive a new research fund of up to $140 million from an international foundation, which finances vaccine research projects, to push for the development of a messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine with the aim of establishing a research and development system that can prevent existing or unknown viruses. SK Bioscience said it has been selected by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedne 2022-10-25
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  Samsung Biologics clinches $296 million contract from Britain's GSK for consignment production SEOUL -- Samsung Biologics, a leading bio company in South Korea, has clinched a $296 million contract from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a British multinational pharmaceutical company, for the consignment production of unspecified medicines. The contract period is until December 31, 2030. In a regulatory filing on October 20, Samsung Biologics refused to disclose which drugs are commissioned to produce. Under a partnership with GSK in 2020, Samsung Biologics agreed to supply belimumab, 2022-10-20
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  CGBio secures firm foothold to sell synthetic bone graft material in North America SEOUL -- CGBio, a total healthcare provider in South Korea, has secured a firm foothold for the sale of its synthetic bone graft material used clinically for spine, orthopedic, trauma and dental applications in North America through a license-out and finished product supply contract with Orthofix, a U.S. medical device company. CGBio's Novosis, approved for use in South Korea, Southeast Asia, Mexico and India, is a recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) bon 2022-10-05
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  Researchers recommend recycling of waste fishing nets into hybrid fiber-reinforced cementitious composites SEOUL -- As a solution to reduce marine pollution, South Korean researchers recommend the recycling of waste fishing nets and ropes collected from coastal waters and fish farms into hybrid fiber-reinforced cementitious composites that can be applied to marine and port concrete structures. About 50 percent of ocean waste in South Korea comes from fishing nets and plastic buoys. "Ghost nets," which are abandoned or lost fishnets made of nylon, damage fish stock and destro 2022-09-29
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  S. Korea's first sand dam tested in remote valley town to provide drinking water SEOUL -- Sand dams built across a seasonal sandy river have never been used in South Korea, which has a tap water supply rate of 97.5 percent. As a cost-effective water solution, sand dams are usually applied to dry areas such as Africa to provide an improved, local and reliable source of water for communities living in remote, rural areas. For residents living in remote mountainous valleys, South Korea used to mobilize water trucks to provide drinking water during extreme drought, 2022-09-23
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  U.S biotech company Abpro signs joint development contract with Celltrion SEOUL -- Abpro, a clinical-stage biotech company in the Unites, has signed a contract with Celltrion, a biotech company in South Korea, to jointly develop ABP102, a bispecific antibody treatment targeting HER2-positive breast cancer. Celltrion will make additional equity investments for bispecific antibody treatment. Bispecific antibodies are antibodies with two binding sites directed at two different antigens or two different epitopes on the same antigen. Their clinical therapeutic 2022-09-21
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  Femtobiomed works with Catholic hospital for joint research on cell therapies SEOUL -- Femtobiomed, a developer of a cargo-free intracellular delivery platform in South Korea, has tied up with a Catholic University hospital to establish a mutual cooperation system for joint research on cell therapies and the development of anti-cancer immune cell therapies. Cell therapy refers to placing new, healthy cells into the body to replace diseased or damaged ones, and modulating the function of the patient’s cells through the expression of factors or direct int 2022-09-19
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  Yuhan works with domestic partner Progen to develop new drugs using multi-target antibody platform technology SEOUL -- Yuhan, a pharmaceutical and chemical company in South Korea, will work with its domestic partner, Progen, to develop new drugs using Progen's multi-target antibody platform technology. The deal came a day after Yuhan became the largest shareholder of a developer of microbiome drugs and functional food materials. Under a memorandum of understanding, the two companies would cooperate in the development of new drug candidate materials. "We hope to develop a new drug 2022-09-16
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  Researchers prove efficacy of illite mineral extract for development of premium functional cosmetics SEOUL -- Illite is a secondary mineral precipitate that occurs as an altered product of muscovite and feldspar in weathering and hydrothermal environments. South Korean researchers have proved the efficacy of an illite mineral extract that can be used for the development of premium functional cosmetics. There have been studies to utilize about 500 million tons of illite buried in Yeongdong, a county about 160 kilometers (99 miles) south of Seoul. However, illite has lacked scientifi 2022-09-07
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  Samsung releases eco-friendly protoype toilet for global social contribution initiative SEOUL -- Samsung researchers regard an eco-friendly toilet developed for a global social contribution initiative as "potentially life-changing" for billions of people who lack safe sanitation, especially those living in crowded urban areas in regions that are flood-prone, or where land, water, and resources for infrastructure are scarce. It is efficient for mass production and can promote sustainable and profitable sanitation services and businesses in poor urban setting 2022-08-26
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  Celltrion concludes CMO deal for Teva's raw material medicine SEOUL -- Celltrion, a leading biotech company in South Korea, has concluded a new deal with its Israeli partner, Teva Pharmaceuticals, for the consignment production of raw material medicine for Fremanezumab, a medication used to prevent migraines in adults. The deal for a contract manufacturing organization (CMO) that serves other companies to provide comprehensive services from development through manufacturing is worth 110 billion won ($82.8 million). The contract period is fr 2022-08-19
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  GI Innovation secures patent in Japan for allergy treatment drug candidate GI-301 SEOUL -- A material patent for GI-301, an allergy treatment drug candidate developed by South Korea's bio-venture company GI Innovation, has been registered in Japan where pollen allergy diseases are widespread. The company would try to accelerate technology transfer to Japanese pharmaceutical companies. GI-301 is a biologic for the treatment of allergic diseases, including atopic dermatitis and chronic idiopathic. Yuhan, a pharmaceutical and chemical company in South Korea, s 2022-08-18
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  Samsung Biologics completes first commercial-scale engineering run for mRNA COVID-19 vaccine SEOUL -- Samsung Biologics, a leading bio company affiliated with South Korea's largest Samsung Group, has completed the first commercial-scale engineering run for the substance production of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in partnership with technology transfer from its American partner, GreenLight Biosciences. GreenLight, a biotechnology company dedicated to making ribonucleic acid (RNA) products, forged a strategic partnership with Samsung Biologics in late 2021 on a contract manufac 2022-08-02
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  Researchers discover new microorganism capable of decomposing oxybenzone SEOUL -- South Korean researchers have discovered a microorganism that can multiply without oxygen and decompose oxybenzone, an organic component of many sunscreen lotions. It can be easily cultivated and used to clean up wastewater because of its no pathogenic nature. Oxybenzone provides broad-spectrum ultraviolet coverage. When used at high concentrations, it irritates and damages the skin and eyes, limiting the blending limit. There have been studies that linked coral damage to o 2022-07-27
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  Convenience store chain GS25 opens recyclable container-type unmanned store SEOUL -- For workers at an oil refinery, South Korea's convenience store chain GS25 has used a recyclable container to open an unmanned store where customers choose products and pay for themselves using QR codes and credit cards. Access is controlled through dedicated apps. The unmanned store erected at a GS Caltex factory in the southern port city of Yeosu used a container of about 18 square meters with electricity and lighting facilities to display about 500 kinds of food and 2022-07-25
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  KT accepts Medi Plus Solutions as new partner for telemedicine service in Vietnam SEOUL -- As a new business partner for its telemedicine service in Vietnam, KT has allied with Medi Plus Solution, a mobile healthcare solution company affiliated with South Korea's Hyundai shipbuilding group, to develop and provide non-face-to-face management services for cancer patients in the Southeast Asian country. Under as a memorandum of understanding, KT and Medi Plus Solution would jointly develop non-face-to-face patient management services, verify services through loc 2022-07-20