WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and a university hospital in Korea have formed a partnership with the goal of accelerating the development of regenerative medicine therapies to benefit patients.

The Kyungpook National University and its hospital, located in Daegu in the Republic of Korea, have joined together to establish the Joint Institute of Regenerative Medicine Korea. The facility, with 35 scientists, officially opened last week.

James Yoo, M.D., Ph.D., assistant director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, will co-direct the new institute with Jang Soo Suh, M.D., Ph.D., director of Bio-Medical Research Institute, Kyungpook National University Hospital.

“This is exciting because it is our first official international establishment of a joint institute,” said Yoo. “It expands the opportunity to accelerate the development of new technologies and opens the door to additional partnerships in Asia.”

The Joint Institute for Regenerative Medicine Korea was funded by Kyungpook National University Hospital, the Daegu Metropolitan City government and the Korean government.

The Wake Forest institute will share some of its core technologies with the joint institute, and the two groups will develop an academic training program for faculty members and students. The two institutes will also collaborate on clinical studies of regenerative medicine therapies.

“This partnership offers the potential to speed scientific development and make advances in regenerative medicine available to patients around the world,” said Anthony Atala, M.D., director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.