Wun-Jae Kim

Affiliation: Department of Urology, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine

Chungbuk National University

410 Seongbong-ro, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju Chungbuk 361-763, Korea

Tel: +82 043-269-6371

E-mail: wjkim@chungbuk.ac.kr 

Personalized Tumor Engineering Research Center: Present and future

Conventional urological practice may not reflect the best diagnosis and treatment for specific individual. Understanding the potential for an individual to exhibit specific medical events based on analysis of their genetic and environmental signature would enable a patient to be prescribed the most effective medication. Such an ideal of personalized medicine has started to receive significant attention. With development of life science and bioinformatics, genetic analysis at the level of small molecules can be available and this leads to the diagnosis and treatment at the level of small molecules. Our recent research works are delving the target gene for personalized medicine, developing the optimal diagnostic kit, and personalized measurement and knowledge evolution system using bioinformatics information. Maintaining consistency and integrality, our research project is composed of several parts, which are tightly connected with each part synchronously. Using the problem oriented feedback strategy we will establish the personalized diagnosis and treatment protocol.

The state-of-art in modern research may be summarized as convergence in technology. Similar convergence strategy could also be applied to personalized cancer research. Personal differences are identified by genetic variation over different individuals. With development of life science and bioinformatics, genetic analysis at the level of small molecules can be available and genetic changes induce cellular biological changes. On the other hand, in conventional medicine, diagnosis and treatment have been performed by observations and analyses of physiological and pathological changes mainly at the level of tissues and organs.

Our recent research works are mainly composed of three parts. One part is the basic research for characteristics of individual tumor and is going to provide target gene information for personalized medicine. Second part is the development of the optimal diagnostic kit, which provides individualized molecular biological information for doctors and patients. Third part is the bio-informatics related to urological cancers through personalized measurement and knowledge evolution system. 

Short Bio 

Wun-Jae Kim is an MD and a professor in Urology Department, Chungbuk National University Hospital and in School of Medicine. He had been a member and director in Korean Association of Urogenital Tract Infection and Inflammation 2 years until 2004. Currently he is Chief of Personalized Tumor Engineering Research Center(PT-ERC); and a Member of the Japanese Cancer Association, World Society of Urology, Urological Research Society, the American Urological Association, Executive Commitee of the Korean Urological Association, Secretory of Korean-Japanese Society of Prostate, the Korean Academy of Science and Technology and European Association of Urology. He also is responsible for editorial board member of the Jounal of Biochemistry and the Jounal of Urology.