Hallym University Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital

The following article on the International Symposium for the 30th Anniversary of Hallym University was carried in the Medical News on May 14, 2012:-Ed.

Hallym University Medical Center holds the International Symposium for the 30th Anniversary of Hallym University entitled “Frontiers in Translational Neurosciences: From Bench to Bedside” at Grand Ballroom, COEX in Seoul, on May 14, 2012.

Hallym University Medical Center(HUMC) held the International Symposium for the 30th Anniversary of Hallym University at the Grand Ballroom, COEX in Seoul, on May 14, 2012. Under the theme of “Frontiers in Translational Neurosciences: From Bench to Bedside,” eleven prominent speakers from Korea, USA, Italy and Japan shared their medical knowledge and clinical experiences at the symposium. Attended by more than 300 participants including medical professionals and students in Korea and abroad, the symposium covered a variety of issues from the pathologic mechanism of neurodegenerative diseases to the framework of stroke registry for major diseases, consisting of four sessions.

At the first session, titled “Protein Misfolding-Associated Neurodegenerative Diseases,” Professor Eun-Kyoung Choi of the Ilsong Institute of Life Science at Hallym University talked about “Protein Citrullination: A Posttranslational Switch in Prion Pathogenesis” and introduced a mouse model of prion disease and brain tissue of patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Professor Paolo Bernardi of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Padova lectured on “Mitochondria as Therapeutic Targets in Neuromuscular Diseases.”

At the second session, titled “Protein Misfolding-Associated Neurodegenerative Diseases,” Professor Jae-Bong Park of Biochemistry at Hallym University and Professor Karen Duff of Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia University presented “Mechanism of RhoA Inactivation in Neurite Outgrowth of PC12 Cells” and “Spread of Pathology in Alzheimer’s Disease,” respectively.

At the third session, titled “Brain Mapping and Molecular Imaging.” Professor Scott A. Small of Neurology at Columbia University introduced his study on “Zooming into Alzheimer’s Disease: MRI Maps to Molecular Mechanisms.” Associate Professor Woo-Kyoung Yoo of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Hallym University talked about “Non-invasive Stimulation for Motor Recovery in Stroke.” Assistant Professor Hyo-Jung Lee of Oholaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Hallym University lectured on “Access to Speech Meaning from Auditory and Visual Cues is Altered in Deaf CI Users.”

At the last session, titled “Recent Advances in Clinical Research of Cerebrovascular Disease,” Professor Izumi Nataga of Neurosurgery at Nagasaki University, spoke on “Clinical Research on Carotid Stenosis.” Professor Sung-Ki Ahn of neurosurgery at Hallym University talked about “The Technique and Outcome of Coil Embolization Using Multiple Catheter System for Wide-necked Cerebral Aneurysm.” Professor Kyung-Ho Yu of Neurology at Hallym University presented “Recent Trends in Stroke Epidemiology & Framework of Stroke Registry for Clinical Researches in Korea. Professor Byung-Chul Lee of Neurology at Hallym University lectured on “Development of Korean VCI Harmonization Standard Neuropsychological Tools and Application of Korean Stroke Patients.” In particular, Professor Lee explained the national project about stroke research which Hallym Neurological Institute has carried out more than seven years.

President Hae-Ran Lee of HUMC said, “This is a good opportunity for us to upgrade the level of research on neuroscience by sharing research results on protein misfolding-associated neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. I am convinced that we can find the ways to advance the area of neuroscience while Korea has rapidly been entering an aging society.”

Meanwhile, since Hallym University Medical Center reached an affiliation agreement in 2002 with Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and in 2004 with Weill Cornell Medical College, it has established cooperative relations with world’s top-notch institutions including George Washington University in USA, Uppsala University in Sweden, the University of Oulu in Finland, the University of Padova in Italy, and Nagasaki University in Japan.

Translated by Jong Hun Im, Int'l Operations Team, HUMC (imjonghun@hallym.or.kr)