Products From Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Will Soon Be Tested in South Korea

Wake Forest Innovations, the commercialization arm of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is partnering with a Korean-based Healthcare system to begin product research and clinical testing overseas.

Last week, Wake Forest Innovations signed a memorandum of understanding with CHA Health Systems of Seoul, South Korea. The partnership will allow the medical center to accelerate the commercial and clinical development of its products.

Eric Tomlinson, President of the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter, says the testing will be conducted at several CHA healthcare centers. But first they will look at each other's systems to decide how best to collaborate.

Tomlinson recently visited several CHA hospitals in South Korea to look at their technology and how they manage patient care. He says he was impressed with their integration of holistic methods with modern medicine.

CHA Health Systems is a large privately owned health care group. It includes hospitals, CHA University and number of bio-tech and pharmaceutical companies. It also owns a medical center in Los Angeles, as well as fertility treatment and research centers in both countries.

Tomlinson says during the testing process, CHA will be required to follow strict South Korean government regulations and quality controls, similar to FDA standards in the United States.

He says the partnership will also provide CHA with research opportunities in the Triad.

The official agreement between Wake Forest Innovations and CHA Health Systems is expected to be in place the end of September. Tomlinson says both institutions should begin testing their products by the end of the year.