Hallym University Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital

Over 200 medical experts from Hallym University Medical Center(HMC) and those from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut of the U.S. shared views on "Neurodegenerative Diseases: Genetic, Biological and Vascular Mechanisms" at the 5th Collaborative International Symposium in New York Friday, October 26. The meeting held at the New York Academy of Sciences(NYAS) was co-organized by HMC and its affiliated world-class medical institutions in the U.S. including NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital(NYPH), Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Weill Cornell Medical College.

The 24-member Korean delegation was led by Chairman Dai-Won Yoon, Dr. Sang-Hoon Bae, HMC President, and Dr. Hae-Ran Lee, Vice President of HMC. From the U.S., dignitaries on hand included Dr. Michael Shelanski, Department of Pathology Chair, Columbia University Medical Center, Dr. Gerald Fischbach, Hatch Professor; Professor of Pharmacology, Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Ralph L. Nachman, Associate Dean, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Dr. Herbert Pardes, President and CEO, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

This 5th symposium in New York bears an express significance as such a large-scale international medical gathering was organized by a Korean medical institution for the first time in history. Participants of the one-day symposium dealt with topics such as Genetics of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Tools to Assess Patients with Cognitive Decline, and Understanding Neurodegeneration at Molecular Level for a New Treatment.

The symposium was divided into the following three sessions:

Session 1: Genetics of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Genetics of Alzheimer's Diseases
Richard Mayeux (Columbia University)
Analysis of Genes Causing Parkinson's Diseases in a Korean Parkinson's Diseases Cohort
Yun Joong Kim (Hallym University)

Session 2: Tools to Assess Patients with Cognitive Decline:
Development of the Korean Neuropsychological Instruments for Dementia
Yeonwook Kang (Hallym University)
Significance of Vascular Burden in Cognition and Alzheimer's Disease
Soo Jin Cho (Hallym University)
Cognitive Reserve, Aging and Dementia
Yaakov Stern (Columbia University)

Session 3: Understanding Neurodegeneration at Molecular Level for a New Treatment
Cellular Insights into β-Amyloid Immunotherapy for Alzheimer's Disease
Gunnar Gouras (Cornell University)
Making and Saving Dopamine Neurons
Asa Abeliovich (Columbia University)
Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1 (HIF-1) Prolyl Hydroxylase Inhibition Prevents Neuronal Injury: A Case Study in the Adaptive Reponses of the Brain to Ischemia and Oxidative Stress
Rajiv Ratan (Cornell University)
Calsenilin, a Multifunctional Neuronal Calcium Sensor in Neurodegeneration
Eun-Kyoung Choi (Hallym University)
Nervous Wreck and Synapsin-Dependent Regulation of Synaptic Vesicle Distribution at Active Zones
Young-Ho Koh (Hallym University)

The meeting ended with closing remarks by Dr. Hae-Ran Lee, Vice President of HMC, and by Dr. Michael Shelanski of Columbia University Medical Center, who expressed their appreciation to all participants and preparatory committee members. At the dinner which followed the symposium, Dr. Ellis Rubinstein, President of New York Academy of Sciences, and Dr. Robert E. Kelly, Senior Vice President of NYP, noted an important milestone for respective institution in taking significant and positive steps towards the globalization of health care.

Looking back, Hallym University Medical Center (HMC) entered into an affiliation agreement with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYP), Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (Columbia), and Weill Cornell Medical College (Weill Cornell) in 2004 to begin an international collaboration to enhance patient care, clinical and biomedical research, medical education, and training. The international four-way affiliation has grown out of an existing clinical and research relationship established between Hallym and Columbia University in 2002. The institutions have collaborated on a series of annual international symposia, with this year being the fifth.

HMC has recently announced the 6th Collaborative Symposium will be held on April 4, 2008 at the Grand Ballroom of COEX in Seoul. It is expected to cover topics on spine and arthroplasty.