Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul), celebrating its 80th anniversary, is accelerating efforts to establish an education and research system that will lead the future medical and biotechnology industries based on the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology. The university plans to expand its existing research capabilities in the life sciences to areas such as new drug development, gene therapy, biopharmaceuticals, and advanced biomaterials, and to build a bio-innovation ecosystem where research outcomes are translated into education, business, and industrial applications.

A Kookmin University student is completing an internship at the Public Equipment Center. / Courtesy of Kookmin University

  
At the heart of this initiative is the College of Bio-Convergence, which will launch in the first semester of the 2027 academic year. It brings together the Department of Forest, Climate, and Environmental Sciences; the Department of Bio-Materials and Convergence Engineering; the Department of Biomedical Sciences; the Department of Food and Nutrition; the Department of Convergence Bioengineering; and the Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering into a single college to enhance educational and research synergies across these disciplines. The university plans to cultivate interdisciplinary talent needed by the bioindustry by strengthening full-cycle education—ranging from the discovery of new drug candidates and the elucidation of mechanisms of action to formulation, production processes, quality control, regulatory approval, and commercialization.
 
Investments to expand the educational infrastructure are also ongoing. Kookmin University was selected for the Ministry of Education’s Financial Support Program for Universities Specializing in High-Tech Industries in the biotechnology category and will receive a total of 11.6 billion won in government funding over four years, through February 2029. Based on this support, the university is strengthening its field-oriented educational system by expanding experimental and hands-on training—covering biopharmaceutical development, cell culture, isolation and purification, production processes, and quality control—as well as industry-linked projects.
 
Underpinning this educational system is the research expertise accumulated across various fields, including new drug development, biopharmaceuticals, and drug delivery. Professor Heo Kyun’s research team is conducting research on drug repurposing to discover new anticancer effects in existing medications, while Professor Cho Hyun-yeol’s research team is studying drug delivery and gene therapy technologies utilizing DNA, RNA, nanotechnology, and gene scissors. Professor Kim Tae-Jong’s research team is developing new antimicrobial substances and treatment strategies to control antibiotic-resistant bacteria, while Professor Kim Joo-Eun’s research team is studying the design and optimization of drug formulations and manufacturing processes using AI and digital twins.
 
Research combining AI and chemistry has also yielded results. Professor Joung Joonyoung’s research team jointly developed “FlowER,” a next-generation AI model for predicting chemical reactions, with Professor Connor Colley’s team at MIT in the United States, and the research findings were published in the international academic journal *Nature*. FlowER is a model that predicts not only the final outcome of chemical reactions but also the reaction mechanisms based on the movement and rearrangement of electrons, demonstrating its potential for application in various chemical and biotechnology fields, including AI-based new drug development.
 
The university is also expanding industry-academia collaboration to bridge research findings with industrial applications. Kookmin University is participating in a national R&D project—in collaboration with MFC and Dongguk University—to develop an AI-based oral insulin formulation, with a total project budget of approximately 7.1 billion won. When administered orally, insulin is easily broken down in the gastrointestinal tract and is difficult for the body to absorb. Consequently, the development of oral insulin has long been considered a major challenge in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. Kookmin University is contributing to the development of technologies that enhance insulin stability and promote absorption by leveraging its expertise in AI-based formulation design and pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. The research team aims to complete preclinical efficacy and safety evaluations and enter Phase 1 clinical trials by 2030.
 
Research toward industrialization is also underway in the field of advanced biomaterials. Professor Park Yong-Cheol’s research team was selected as the lead institution for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s Bio-Industry Technology Development Project. This 22.2 billion won project, involving a total of 17 companies and institutions, aims to develop technologies for the mass production and commercialization of microorganism-derived exosomes, high-purity vitamins, and lutein. By combining synthetic biology, biofoundry, and AI deep learning technologies, the university is expanding its research scope to include advanced biomaterials and industrial biotechnology.
 
Kookmin University plans to link these educational and research capabilities with its mid- to long-term development strategy, “KMU VISION 2035: EDGE,” to foster biotechnology as one of its eight specialized fields and strengthen convergence with AI, advanced materials, and data science.
 With the launch of the College of Bio-Convergence in 2027, the university intends to integrate the latest research findings into undergraduate education and expand industry-participation projects and field-oriented education to establish an education and research system that spans from new drug development to the production of biopharmaceuticals and the industrialization of advanced biomaterials.