BOSTON – Jeonbuk Province, South Korea, is rapidly solidifying its position as a burgeoning hub for the biotech industry, a status significantly bolstered by its recent successful foray into the U.S. market. A delegation led by Jeonbuk Governor Kim Kwan-young achieved remarkable progress in fostering international collaborations and showcasing the region's innovative biotechnological capabilities during a series of high-profile engagements in the United States.
Jeonbuk Shines at BIO USA 2025, Boston
Governor Kim Kwan-young actively participated in BIO USA 2025, the world's largest biotechnology industry exhibition, held in Boston from June 16-19, 2025. This premier event attracted over 1,500 companies and more than 20,000 experts globally, serving as a pivotal platform for discussing the latest trends and future visions in the biotech sector, including novel drug development, technology transfer, and AI-driven precision medicine. A prominent theme at this year's convention was the transformative potential of AI in drug discovery and personalized healthcare.
Governor Kim personally championed Jeonbuk's biotech prowess, engaging with numerous global industry leaders and emphasizing the advanced technologies developed by companies from the region. Six dynamic Jeonbuk-based biotech firms showcased their unique innovations at the expo:
Medicos Biotech: This company specializes in producing high-value spider silk proteins through metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, targeting applications in the cosmetics and medical fields. Medicos Biotech's technological excellence was recognized with a CES 2025 Innovation Award in the "Digital Health" category.
Medi & Research: A startup focused on aesthetic medical devices and cosmetics, Medi & Research presented its multi-functional, highly concentrated products and its independently developed, high-performance cosmetic ingredient, "Deinozantin."
Biogenex (formerly BioLT): A biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing treatments and therapeutic technologies for RNA viruses. Biogenex has been actively expanding its research collaborations, notably through an MOU for RNA therapeutic technology research with Curatis.
Basgen Bio: Leveraging artificial intelligence and extensive domestic and international bio big data, including the K-Biobank (National Biobank of Korea, a robust nationwide network of human bioresources crucial for healthcare R&D), Basgen Bio is at the forefront of innovating disease prevention and therapeutic drug development, particularly excelling in preventive medicine and precision healthcare.
PlasBio: This firm develops automated solutions for non-clinical animal testing, integrating AI and 3D printing technologies. Their innovative platform utilizes visual AI for blood vessel detection and robotic control for automated intravenous injection.
Biolamp: A specialist in conductive polymer composite materials utilizing carbon nanotubes and nanometals. Biolamp develops highly elastic, flexible, and conductive composite materials for diverse applications such as heating elements, heat dissipation films, and electromagnetic shielding composites.
These companies actively pursued collaboration opportunities with global pharmaceutical companies and research institutions throughout the exhibition, laying the groundwork for future partnerships.
Establishing a US Foothold and Strategic Partnerships
On June 19, 2025, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province took a significant step by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), whose US branch is located at the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) in Boston. This agreement will establish a dedicated base within the CIC for Jeonbuk bio-companies seeking to enter the US market. Through this initiative, Jeonbuk Province plans to host regular Investor Relations (IR) events and receptions for CIC-resident companies. Furthermore, it will facilitate technology seminars and symposiums in collaboration with prominent Korean-American professional organizations such as the Korean American Society in Biotech and Pharmaceuticals (KASBP) and the Korean-American Professional Association in Life Sciences (KAPAL), continually expanding its global cooperation network.
On the same day, Governor Kim visited the main campus of the world-renowned medical institution, Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota. The visit culminated in the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the Mayo Clinic's Neuroengineering and Precision Surgery Laboratory and its internal startup, Navinetics. This landmark agreement encompasses three key areas of strategic cooperation: joint development of carbon composite-based neurosurgical navigation and fixation devices, establishment of a Korean subsidiary linked with Mayo Clinic, and fostering physician-scientists through personnel exchange programs. This LOI serves as a direct follow-up to the MOU signed between Jeonbuk Province and Mayo Clinic in April, and a subsequent visit by Dr. Kendall Lee, Director of Mayo Clinic's Neural Engineering and Precision Surgery Lab, to Jeonbuk in May. This progression underscores the high potential for concrete investment and research collaboration. This achievement is particularly noteworthy as it marks a successful model of substantive cooperation between a local government and a globally leading medical institution, significantly enhancing the standing of Jeonbuk's biohealth industry. Mayo Clinic is globally recognized for its deep expertise in neuroscience research, including brain mapping, neuromodulation, and advanced surgical techniques for neurological disorders.
Governor Kim Kwan-young expressed his satisfaction with the outcomes of his US visit, stating, "Our Jeonbuk bio-companies have received global recognition for their technological prowess, and we have established a strategic partnership with the world-class Mayo Clinic." He further affirmed his ambition, "We will continue to expand our global cooperation network to firmly establish Jeonbuk as the center of Korea's bio-industry." Jeonbuk's global leap in the biotech sector is now well underway.
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