The government is recruiting participants for the "National Integrated Bio-Big Data" construction project from the entire population. The government plans to build a Korean sovereign medical AI based on health and genetic information donated by citizens.
On the 15th, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the KDCA announced that they have expanded the eligibility for participation in the National Integrated Bio-Big Data Construction Project to the entire population, as previously only those subject to national health screenings could participate. This is because some individuals may be excluded from the national health screening targets due to being under 20 years of age or their employment status. Those who wish to participate can join the project after undergoing a specified examination procedure.
The National Integrated Bio-Big Data Construction Project aims to collect health and genetic information through voluntary donations from citizens, thereby promoting improvements in public health and innovation in the bio-industry.
The government plans to build a bio-big data set of 1 million people by 2032 and secure biological samples such as blood and urine to establish cross-ministerial R&D (Research and Development) infrastructure.
To this end, it is recruiting 585,000 general individuals, 140,000 patients with severe diseases, and 47,000 patients with rare diseases through medical institutional investors and screening centers, and collecting biological samples such as blood and urine.
Subsequently, human resources such as DNA and serum will be produced from the collected samples and preserved in a biobank, and a databank will be established by integrating participants' genomic, clinical, and public data. The accumulated bio-big data is planned to be opened for research use upon request by researchers, subject to data licensing review.
Meanwhile, to widely inform about the expansion of participation criteria for the project and encourage public interest and participation, the Ministry of Health and Welfare held a "National Integrated Bio-Big Data Construction Project Bio-Data Donation Event" at 10:00 a.m. on the same day at Yonsei University Shinchon Severance Hospital.
Jeong Eun-kyung, Jeong Eun-gyeong (Minister) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "The National Integrated Bio-Big Data is a public asset completed through the participation of each and every citizen," adding, "Starting with the first opening in November, we will support the safe and extensive utilization of the data so that the results of medical innovation can benefit the citizens."
in TECH
