Prof. Howard Lee shared his past experiences and future perspectives on the 14C-based microtracing and macrodosing studies in humans in South Korea as an invited speaker to the 9th East Asia Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Symposium (EAAMS-9), held at KIST, Seoul, South Korea, on November 22-24, 2023. 

Prof. Lee has introduced the concept and utilizes of the 14C-based microtracing and macrodosing study for new drug development since 2024. As of today, Prof. Lee has completed a total of six microtracing/microdosing studies with one being the IND-opening study for the US FDA. In his talk, Prof. Lee shared his experiences in starting a 14C-labelled human study using the microdosing technology in Korea. Additionally, Prof. Lee gave hist perspective as to how this technology can be further utilized to increase the efficiency of clinical drug development.

CCADD members attended the Annual Conference of the Korean Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (KSCPT), taking place at Sono Belle, Gyeongju, from November 16th to 17th. In this conference, approximately 300 participants shared their insights and findings in the translational pharmacometrics and new drug development realms. 

Representing CCADD, graduate students Tae Kyu and Yoona have delivered oral presentations on the latest advancements in clinical pharmacology and related scientific disciplines at the Conference.

Tae Kyu's oral presentation, centered around the research entitled "Comparison of Machine Learning and Population Pharmacokinetic Models for Predicting Antiepileptic Drug Concentrations Based on Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Records," acquired substantial attention, particularly from pharmacometricians. During the presentation and subsequent discussions, he shared insights on how the application of machine learning to clinical pharmacology holds the potential to revolutionize drug development, dosage optimization, and personalized medicine. 

Yoona also presented her research topic, entitled "Country Contribution of Investigators to Pivotal Clinical Trials and THeir Primary Publications of New Drugs Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration," emphasizing the need for Korean researchers to take an active leadership role in key clinical trials to secure opportunities to contribute as authors to primary publications. The audience also agreed with her suggestions and provided constructive feedback, e.g., why it is not easy to be the author in the primary publications. After her presentation, she commented that it was a valuable opportunity to gauge the interest of clinical pharmacologists in that subject matter. 

In this conference, Tae Kyu and Yoona were bestowed with the esteemed "Best Presentation Award," marking a significant achievement and recognition for their outstanding presentation skills. Out of around 50 accepted abstracts, only the 7 presentations were deemed worthy of the best presentation title. Tae Kyu and Yoona's work was further celebrated with a cash prize of 100,000 KRW.

After all the programmed sessions were over, attendants eagerly awaited the prize draw. In a moment of drawing for the first gift, Howard emerged as the fortunate recipient. With his jaws on the floor, Howard made his way to claim his prize, a Bluetooth Sony Headphone. The annual conference held by KSCPT was a stage to celebrate the lab's commitment to excellence and an opportunity to showcase our gratitute for the fortune we have experienced.

Prof. Howard Lee emphasized the willingness to pay for innovation from the whole societal perspective for South Korea. In a forum organized by Hankyung TV to commemorate the 2023 Korean Biopharmaceutical Award, Prof. Lee discussed what South Korea has to equip itself with to become one of the countries that can not only develop, but market innovative new drugs on a global scale. He listed the following conditions: nationwide control center, training and education, megafunds, advanced drug regulatory science, and willingness to pay for innovation as a society. The following YouTube clip captures the 5th condition.

Money Today Broadcasting or MTN interviews Prof. Howard Lee, where he explained why it is indispensable to have a government-wide control tower for new drug development. Prof. Lee stressed the importance of a control tower, preferably set up as an independent, standing government-wide institute that has discretional power over its budget and Human Resources management to maximize its efficiency, which can lead to increased output of new drug development activities in South Korea. His interview can be watched at the following YouTube clip. Additionally, this news article summarizes what Prof. Lee talked in his interview. 

Prof. Lee emphasized the nationwide control tower for new drug development in Korea, preferably at the Prime Minister's Office level. This remark came out at a forum Prof. Lee was invited as a speaker, sponsored by Chosun Biz, November 10, 2022. "The control tower should be the epicenter for coordinating diverse government-led supports, policies and activities to make new drug development in Korea much faster and more efficient", Prof. Lee said. "The control tower can be also working as an overarching center for training experts and bringing up more talents required for every single area of drug development, no matter how it is small or large", Prof Lee added.   

A full newspaper article reporting Prof. Lee's speech can be found here. 

Prof. Howard Lee discussed the issues of new drug development policies and strategies laid out by the Yoon government at the 6th Policy Symposium of the Professional Graduate Schools at Seoul National University, held on September 28, 2022 at the Graduate School of International Studies. Prof. Lee started his presentation by telling why it is important to talk about new drug development policies right at this moment. According to Prof. Lee, the likelihood that South Korea can become a leading country in drug development is the highest in history, but it has to be strengthened and guided by the government to make it a true reality. Prof. Lee pointed out the policies and strategies as proposed were too much focused on biologics, infectious disease, and digital health, urgently requiring some levels of balance. Prof. Lee further emphasized the importance of having a nationwide control tower to reduce redundant investments and to facilitate faster actions currently involving too many government agencies and ministries. Prof. Lee concluded his presentation by saying, "Even though all the recommendations are implemented, Korea cannot become a leading country in new drug development unless the society as a whole is ready to pay a price for innovations."

Prof. Lee's presentation can be watched by clicking the following YouTube link: 

Prof. Howard Lee was featured at the first episode of FOCUS, a YouTube-based lecture program by Seoul National University Hospital, where Prof. Lee introduced each stage of new drug development. Two additional episodes will be aired through FOCUS soon, i.e., How Covid-19 vaccines were developed and how the Korean biopharmaceutical industry can be a global leader.  

Prof. Lee's first episode can be watched by clicking the following thumbnail;