People who have not undergone a health checkup can now take part in South Korea's national integrated bio-big data project. The government has eased participation requirements, a move expected to speed up drug development and medical artificial intelligence research using genetic and health information donated by the public.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on the 15th that they had expanded the pool of eligible participants. Until now, recruitment of the general public centered on people who had received national or comprehensive health checkups. Going forward, those who are not subject to health checkups can also join after completing testing procedures at a recruiting institution.
The national integrated bio-big data project is a state research and development program that combines human biological resources such as blood and urine donated by the public with genomic and clinical information to build a large-scale bio-big data repository. The accumulated data will be used to develop AI suited to South Korea's medical environment, as well as innovative drugs and advanced medical devices, and to provide precision medicine tailored to individual patient characteristics.
The government plans to build a bio-big data pool covering a total of 1 million people between 2024 and 2032. In the first phase, running through 2028, it will recruit 772,000 people, including 585,000 members of the general public, 140,000 patients with severe illnesses and 47,000 patients with rare diseases. In the second phase, from 2029 to 2032, the total will be expanded to 1 million.
Samples such as blood and urine collected from participants will be processed into research-use human biological resources, including DNA and serum, and stored at the KDCA's National Biobank of Korea. Genomic data, clinical information and public data will be consolidated at the Korea Health Information Service. Researchers will be able to use the materials for studies after a separate distribution review.
The health ministry held a bio data donation event for the project at Yonsei University's Severance Hospital in Sinchon, Seoul, on the same day.
The event drew 40 policy officials from the health care and AI fields, including Health Minister Jung Eun-kyeong, Ha Jung-woo, vice chair of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee, and Ko Sang-baek, president of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute. After consenting to take part in the research, the attendees donated biological samples through procedures including blood collection and body measurements.
At a policy meeting that followed, participants shared the project's progress and plans for the first data release scheduled for November. Starting with this initial release, the government said it would support the use of the accumulated bio-big data in a range of research areas, including medical AI and drug development.
"The national integrated bio-big data is a public asset that is completed through the participation of each and every citizen," Jung said. "Starting with the first release in November, we will provide support so that the data can be used safely and widely and the achievements of medical innovation can return to the public."
"Bio big data is an extremely valuable national asset that cannot be created in a short period of time," Ha said. "I expect this event to serve as a foundation that allows us to grow with genuine competitiveness in the global race for dominance unfolding in the medical and bio sectors."