Samsung to develop brain cancer treatment
Samsung Electronics will invest 330 billion won ($28 million) into 26 research projects as part of its corporate social responsibility to provide support to local researchers, the company said Monday. The projects include one developing drugs to treat brain cancers and another seeking new semiconductor materials.
The tech giant launched two research support centers — the Samsung Science & Technology Foundation and the Samsung Research Funding & Incubation Center for Future Technology — in 2013.
The company announces a list of researchers who will receive research grants three times a year, and through the support centers, it has invested 718.2 billion won in 560 research projects so far.
For the research grants of the latter half of 2019, the company will support seven projects in the basic sciences, nine in creative information and communication technology, and 10 in materials technology.
In basic science, Prof. Kim Heung-kyu of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) will be funded for his research into new types of immune cells that can recognize brain tumor cells and control immune responses. Through the research, the professor aims to develop a new family of drugs for brain cancers.
For the materials technology sector, the company is supporting research helpful for the country’s industries such as developing new semiconductor materials, and also those that can detect cancer cells.
Dr. Chung Kyeong-woon of the Korea Institute of Materials Science is researching the development of organic materials that can change color depending on the degree of metastasis of cancer cells.
“Currently, it is hard to predict the risk of cancer recurrence. But the organic materials will help doctors set up a customized treatment plan for each patient,” Chung said.
Jeong Eun-ju, a professor of Hanyang University, will conduct a study to record and analyze signals from the human brain and transfer them to music.
“This research aims to help people with physical disabilities who have difficulties in expressing their emotions. By using the electrocorticography (ECOG) method, which uses sensors on the surface of the brain to record signals, they are expected to be able to engage in artistic activities,” the professor said.