Greeting
Medicinal Bioconvergence Research Center (Biocon) was initiated in 2010 as one of the Global Frontier Projects that are by Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. Our goal is to build an integrated research platform namely “The Target Factory” to develop well-validated packages of targets and leads that can be used in biotech and pharmaceutical industry. Biocon consists of the experts in target identification, drug design, drug screening and disease modeling. The results from these four specialist groups are converged into integration core group. The matured packages of target and lead are then relayed to the group for translation and development (named TRADE). We will do our best to establish Biocon the world’s first and best target factory that systematically translate original science and technology to new therapy and diagnosis for future medicine.
Sunghoon Kim Ph.D. 
Director, Biocon / Professor, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea.
Vision :
An Integrated Research Platform for Novel Target and Lead Discovery
The Medicinal Bioconvergence Research Center of Yonsei University (or Biocon) has set a challenge to establish an “innovative research platform for drug discovery” that can significantly reduce the time and cost while improving the success probability of drug discovery.
Among the many different stages required for drug development, Biocon focuses on the “identification and validation of novel drug targets”. Although well-validated druggable targets are critical determinants for the success of drug discovery, target discovery is typically a function that pharma or biotech industry launch in-house, because it involves much basic science and there are no standard operation procedures for this process. Therefore, druggable targets have to be provided by the researchers in academia and public sectors. Biocon was established to fill the gap between academia and industry by maturing potentially druggable targets.
The identification of novel targets involves a broad spectrum of research activity from in-depth basic biology to translation. The strength of Biocon is based on the integration of biology and chemistry teams combined with cutting-edge convergence technologies. Through this fully united research teamwork, Biocon is aiming to become the world’s first and best target factory, providing innovative targets to the pharmaceutical industry.
“Innovative research platform for drug discovery”
Initiation : Searching for Novel Targets
The need for new drugs is ever increasing due to the surge in diseases such as cancer, diabetes and dementia that are mainly caused by extended life span. However, the number of newly approved drugs is continuously decreasing, giving a crisis not only for drug industry but also eventually for human health. In 2010, the Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) launched the Global Frontier Project, targeted at solving global challenges in major R&D areas. The Medicinal Bioconvergence Research Center (Biocon) was initiated as one of the three projects with the aim of resolving difficulties during the development of novel drug discovery. This project will proceed for an initial nine years from 2010 to 2019, and is divided into three stages (1st: 2 years, 2nd: 3 years, 3rd: 4 years). With the financial support of about 140 million dollars and a projected time-line of 9 years, Biocon has leveraged a unique capability to discover and validate molecular pathways and targets at a level that is possible at few commercial enterprises.
Focused Subject & Pipeline
Biocon focuses on human aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) and their interacting proteins as our primary target space of interest, and explores their potential to address diverse human diseases. These enzymes emerged early in evolution and catalytically link their cognate amino acids to tRNAs for protein synthesis. For this reason, ARSs have been traditionally considered as housekeeping proteins solely dedicated to protein synthesis. However, recent new findings from Biocon and other groups world-wide on the novel functions of ARSs are rapidly changing the classical view of these enzymes. Indeed ARSs are emerging as central coordinators linking cell fate determination processes with protein synthesis.
| Target | Potential indications | Status | Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Neo-pep - A Peptide of Human Origin for Skin and Scalp Health | Tissue Regeneration Alopecia | Pre-candidate | |
 | Anti-tumorigenic GRS-derives Peptides - Novel Therapeutics for Kidney and Lung Cancer | Cancer | Lead Optimization | |
 | Inhibitors of MRS - Novel Therapeutics for p16INK4a- Negative Cancers | Cancer | Hit identified | |
 | Anti-tumorigenic AIMP2-DX2 Inhibitors - Novel Therapeutics for Small Lung Cancer | Neural Disease | Lead Optimization | |
 | Anti-metastatic KRS Inhibitors - Novel Therapeutics for Merastatic Triple-negative Breast Cancer | Metastasis | Pre-candidate | |
 | Anti-tumor Inhibitor of TRS - Promising Strategy for Breast and Pancreatic Cancer | Angiogenesis | Hit discovery | |
 | Novel LRS Inhibitors - Anti-tumor Agents for Colorectal Cancer | Cancer Metabolic Diseases | Lead Optimization | |
 | Anti-tumorigenic PRS Inhibitors - Novel Therapeutics for Pancreatic and Lung Cancer | Fibrosis Immune Diseases | Pre-candidate |
Our work
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Intergration Core Group
- All
- Research Director
- Support Headquarters
- Practical Business
- AM
- BioBank
- CellBio2
- DrugScreening
- GRS
- IT Infra Management
Translation & Drug Development
With excellent research achievements during last five years of Biocon, it is time to put in place a flexible and professional management group that can assess, decide and implement decisions for downstream development that are independent of, but in co-operation with, the underlying scientific mission of Biocon. The action of this group needs to be focused and operated at the standard of global Pharmas since Biocon’s assets in the pipeline are all “first-in-class”. In light of the imperative to move programs from the academic to a translational setting, Biocon has established a TRAnslation and DEvelopment Group(TRADE), comprised of experienced professionals from the global drug development industry.
The TRADE group, led by the Biocon’s Chief Business Officer, has a mandate to take Biocon’s inventions and capabilities to global drug development partners. Currently, the TRADE group carries out rigorous assessment of internal Biocon programs with a particular emphasis on matching the target discovery and validation progress of Biocon with unmet market needs or opportunities.
Biocon Alliance Company
Incheon Office (Main)
- Address : Bldg. 511, POSCO-Green, International Campus, Yonsei University, 85, SongdoGwahak-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 21983, Republic of Korea
인천광역시 연수구 송도과학로 85 연세대학교 국제캠퍼스 511동 포스코그린
Gangnam Office
- Address : 5th floor, Gangnam Severance Visa Screening Center, 235, Dogok-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 서울특별시 강남구 도곡로 235 강남세브란스 비자검진센터 5층