By Jung Min-ho
Konkuk University will create the country’s first undergraduate program on stem cell biology next year, the school said Monday.
From the spring semester starting in March, Konkuk will run the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, which places an emphasis on making advances that will lead to treatment for patients suffering degenerative diseases.
For the inaugural program at the College of Animal Bioscience and Technology, 43 students will be enrolled.
“For the next 10 to 20 years, we reached an agreement that the field of stem cells and regenerative biology is one of the most promising ones,” Prof. Cho Ssang-gu, a leader of the task force for the program, said.
“We will try our best to help students grow as competitive experts.”
Cho said the team benchmarked Harvard University that has run its Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology since 2009.
“We believe the department will enhance the college’s status to a higher level,” Prof. Kim Jin-hoi said. “We expect the program will draw attention both from students who pursue their career in the business field and those who want to continue their work in graduate school.
Professors are working on designing courses for the program. To get a degree, students are also required to take common science subjects, including pharmacology, microbiology, molecular cell biology and immunology.
Some researchers believe it is possible to use a person’s own stem cells to grow replacement tissue to treat diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
While many developed countries have invested in stem cell research, Korea has made little progress in the field since the “Hwang Woo-suk scandal,” where a former Seoul National University researcher falsely claimed to have cloned patient specific stem cells a decade ago.