If you look closely how a drug is developed, you will be amazed by two things: its complexity and die-hard dyed-in-the-wool conservatism. Admittedly, drug development is a risky and expensive endeavor, and that may be the main reason why people are doing the same things the same ways forever. But, time has come to do things differently.

The Center for Convergence Approaches in Drug Development or CCADD (pronounced "See-Cad") was established in 2017 to study, invent, apply, and disseminate innovative technologies that can take drug development to a totally different scientific venture. Indeed, this goal lies beyond the capacity of a single discipline, and that's where the idea of convergence comes in. CCADD seeks to creatively combine and integrate knowledge, ideas, perspectives, insights, tools, and ways of thinking from a myriad of scientific disciplines at their interfaces to solve the most tough challenges that the drug development scientists are facing.

The immediate benefit is a faster, more efficient and economic introduction of a new drug to those in need to advance their health and quality life. In the long run, however, our society will also learn there's always a new way to do old things, and that's important to us.

We have five core values, each of which starts with the letters in CCADD: challenge, creativity, accountability, diversity, and difference.

CCADD is located at the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University. If you want to know more about our activities and look for collaboration opportunities, please email us.