The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST, Acting President Park Rae-gil) is liable for research and development (R&D) of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in the sphere of machinery, equipment and robots, led by Jeong-won Yoon, head of the Brain Nano Robot Research Center (Professor, Faculty of Convergence Technology and Interdisciplinary Studies). It was announced on the sixth that it was chosen as a superb performance.

Hanmi Techwin, Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, and Yonsei University participated on this ‘development of drug-loaded micro-nano robot navigation system technology for brain disease treatment’. As a related result, 21 SCI-level international papers, 14 patent applications, and three patent registrations have been achieved.

The research team announced that that they had developed a source technology for magnetic particle imaging (MPI) brain region navigation that may measure the three-dimensional position and concentration of magnetic nanoparticles, including drugs, in real time. It’s explained that it has succeeded in applying magnetic field drug targeting technology to brain tumor and stroke disease models.

This research has developed a magnetic particle imaging device, which has been sold for billions of won for industrial equipment, to be applied to medium-sized animals (dogs, cats, rabbits, etc.) with the identical resolution as small animal MPI.

As well as, by applying joystick-based manipulation and nanoparticle robot navigation technology through the MPI device, nanoparticle feedback-based drug targeting technology inside the human body was made possible. Within the medical field where automatic control for targeting inside the human body is difficult, integration with next-generation imaging systems is predicted to contribute to the event of latest brain drug targeting system medical devices.

Professor Jeongwon Yoon said, “We now have confirmed that with the technology that permits nanoparticles loaded with drugs to treat brain diseases to achieve the treatment area of ​​the brain, Korea can transcend advanced countries in medical technology and goal the unique technology market.”

“We’re concentrating on commercializing a drug delivery system able to navigating robots within the brain, and improving the extent of completeness of magnetic particle imaging device and drug delivery technology to the extent that may be applied to the human body,” he said. “Superconducting magnet technology and magnetic particle imaging “We’re also conducting additional research to confirm actual clinical application through the use of Humanscale MPI, which is a converged device.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy discovered 20 excellent tasks through quantitative and qualitative performance evaluation amongst tasks inside the last five years in the sphere of machinery, equipment, and robots, and published a book of cases, ‘Activating modern growth with precise R&D design’.

Reporter Hojeong Na hojeong9983@aitimes.com