Professor Oh Do-yeon at the 35th Bunshu Medical Award...Professor Kim Young-kwang and Researcher Jin Ho-kyung were selected for the Young Medical Person Award
Nov 12, 2025
|
Oh Do-yeon, an oncology professor at Seoul National University of Medicine who was selected as the winner of the 35th Bunshui Medicine Award, has conducted a wide range of preclinical, intermediary, and clinical studies to discover therapeutic targets and new biomarkers based on cancer biology for the development of new drugs in the field of gastrointestinal cancer such as stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, and biliary tract cancer. In particular, he was credited with suggesting new strategies in the treatment of biliary tract cancer and contributing to extending life and improving the quality of life of cancer patients around the world.
Professor Oh Do-yeon conducted a researcher-led phase 2 clinical study that confirmed significant improvements in patients' tumor response rate, progression-free survival period, and overall survival period by adding immuno-oncology to existing standard chemotherapy in advanced biliary tract cancer. The study was the first in the world to present the safety and effectiveness of a combination of immuno-oncology and cytotoxic anti-oncology therapy for biliary tract cancer, and laid the foundation for global phase 3 clinical studies.
Professor Oh then participated as a global lead researcher in the global phase 3 clinical study to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of immuno-oncology combination therapy, lead to a change in the standard treatment paradigm for biliary tract cancer around the world, and contributed greatly to improving patients' treatment outcomes. In particular, it was recognized for its cooperation with multinational pharmaceutical companies in the field of biliary tract cancer, where interest in new drug development was relatively low, and that domestic researchers led clinical research in the field and presented a new standard treatment for biliary tract cancer around the world for the first time in more than a decade based on the research.
Professor Oh Do-yeon said, `It is a great honor to be awarded the Boonshui Medical Award, the most prestigious of all in the country. We would like to thank all the co-researchers around the world who participated in the study together, and we will continue to strive to present more effective treatments to cancer patients around the world through various clinical studies.
Kim Young-kwang, an assistant professor of pathology at Catholic University of Medicine who was selected as the winner of the 35th Boonshui Medical Award in the Basic category, developed PEER-seq technology that can assess the functional effects of cancer-related gene mutations on a large scale using Prime editing, presented a comprehensive TKI resistance profile of EGFR mutations, and presented a method to evaluate drug resistance even in clinically uncertain variants (VUS). The technology is expected to be used to evaluate and respond to the functions of various genetic mutations that have not been identified so far, as well as to contribute to the realization of customized precision medical care tailored to the patient's genome.
In addition, Jin Ho-kyung Jin, a senior researcher at the Institute of Basic Science, who was selected as the winner of the Young Medical Prize's clinical category, clearly identified the path of cerebrospinal fluid discharge that was not revealed due to anatomical complexity and found that targeting the nasopharyngeal and cervical lymphatic vessels located outside the skull improves cerebrospinal fluid discharge function. The study was highly praised for suggesting the first innovative and practical treatment strategy that can be applied to the actual clinical field without invasive brain surgery.
Lee Jin-woo, President of the Korean Medical Association, said, `I would like to express my sincere congratulations and gratitude to all the winners of the Bunshui Medical Award who contributed to the development of the domestic medical health environment, the improvement of the quality of life of patients, and the promotion of the development of Korean medical science by utilizing the purpose of the Bunshui Medical Award.'
President Annamaria Boi of Beringer Ingelheim Korea "I would like to thank the awardees who achieved outstanding research results through their continuous efforts in their respective positions and all the researchers who worked hard for the development of medical science in Korea"In addition to providing innovative solutions to positively change the lives of patients, Boehringer Ingelheim Korea will continue to support domestic medical research activities in the future."
The Bunsch Medical Award, organized by the Korean Medical Association and sponsored by Korea's Beringer Ingelheim, is derived from the name of Dr. Richard Wunsch, the doctor of King Gojong of the Joseon Dynasty and the first German doctor in Korea, and was established in 1990 to promote academic development in the Korean medical community and to solidify friendly relations between Korea and Germany in the medical field. Through objective and strict screening criteria, medical scholars who have made remarkable medical research achievements in the development of domestic medicine are selected and awarded, and they have established themselves as one of the most prestigious medical awards in Korea.
A medical scientist who has been engaged in medical or research for more than 20 years and is recognized for his contribution to the development of domestic medicine will be awarded the 'Bunshui Medicine Award' and a medical scientist under the age of 40 who published an outstanding thesis that is recognized for academic value and contribution will be awarded the 'Young Medical Person Award.' The awards ceremony for the three winners will be held at 6 p.m. on November 25 at the Plenty Convention in Seoul St. Mary's Hospital.
|
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
