The US Food and Drug Administration recently granted approval for the first time ever to a genetic-testing startup to directly sell its tests that can predict a person’s risk for various diseases, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.The FDA’s landmark decision, made Thursday, is expected to pave the way for other genetic sequencing companies and startups worldwide to commercialize their own direct-to-consumer genetic tests for disease risks in the US.　　The US health regulator has permitted gen

Intuitive Surgical, the world’s top surgical robot maker best known for its “da Vinci” robotic surgical system, will open a new surgical innovation and training center at the Sangam Digital Media City cluster in northeastern Seoul.The news was announced Monday by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, which has designated the upcoming center as the city’s first-ever service-type foreign investment institution. A robot-assisted surgical system at a local hospital (Yonhap)Seoul City and Intuitive Surg

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles highlighting South Korea’s promising startups in the emerging sectors of digital health care and next-generation medical devices. This is the seventh installment. – Ed.　　At age 4, an American toddler named Nicholas Volker was dying. 　Since he was born, the boy had suffered from an unknown disease that caused holes to continually form in his abdomen. Yet, no treatment, whether it be chemotherapy, antibiotics or new forms of medicine, seemed to b

Samsung SDS, the internet technology solutions unit of South Korea’s Samsung Group, launched a new blockchain technology-based digital platform for enterprises Thursday. With the release, the company said it aims to become a forerunner in bringing the next-generation ledger technology to the wider market.　Named Nexledger, the blockchain-based cloud computing platform for enterprises aims to appeal to corporations looking for a cost-efficient method of managing digital financial transactions and

진행자: 손지영, Paul Kerry1. 안철수 국민의당 대선후보 최종 확정기사요약: 안철수 후보가 4일 국민의당 대통령 후보로 선출됐다. 안 후보는 대전·충남·충북·세종 등 충청권 지역에서 실시된 마지막 순회경선에서 7연승을 달성하며 국민의당의 공식 대선후보로 최종 확정됐다. 이로서 현재 지지율 1위를 차지하고 있는 더불어민주당 문재인 후보와 맞대결을 펼치게 되었다.아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2 팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638Ahn clinches candidacy for May 9 election[1] Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party on Tuesday confirmed his candidacy for the upcoming May 9 presidential e

As hundreds of companies around the world have pulled their advertisements from YouTube over inappropriate ad placement, Google is out to win back their trust by revamping its video sharing platform with the help of artificial intelligence and outside manpower.The US internet giant is training its artificially intelligent computing programs to better recognize and discern videos considered objectionable while also inviting outside actors to verify ad quality standards on YouTube.(123RF)The move

South Korean pharmaceutical companies and global drugmakers will come together to discuss new business partnerships and “open innovation” at this year’s Korea Pharma Associations Conference in Seoul next week.The KPAC will be held at the InterContinental Seoul Coex hotel from April 11-12 for some 400 attendees, according to the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association and the Korea Research-based Pharmaceutical Industry Association, the event’s co-organizers.As one of the bi

South Korean internet giant Naver said Tuesday that it has entered a new partnership with GS Retail, agreeing to help employees at local GS24 convenience stores communicate more effectively with those who do not speak Korean. The two have signed a memorandum of understanding, under which Naver has opened a new section on its translation app Papago that shows translations of common customer service phrases used by convenience store clerks. Naver’s Chief Technology Officer Song Chang-hyun (left) a

CJ CheilJedang has become the first major South Korean company to pull its advertisements from YouTube, joining a slew of other major global brands that have recently cut ties with the video-sharing platform over inappropriate ad placement.　CJ CheilJedang -- Korea’s biggest food company under CJ Group -- said Monday that it has partially terminated its partnership with YouTube, as the platform has been automatically attaching a promotional ad for one of its products to offensive videos promoting

Samsung BioLogics on Monday denied allegations that it used accounting fraud to boost its valuation ahead of its public listing last year, as South Korea’s finance regulator prepares to carry out a special audit on the company.　The Financial Supervisory Service announced last Thursday that it planned to conduct a detailed audit on the Samsung-owned contract drug manufacturer to examine alleged discrepancies in the firm’s audit reports that were brought to attention by local political parties and

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles on major contenders in the forthcoming May 9 presidential election, using a SWOT analysis to present their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Below is the second installment on Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party, the runner-up rival to Moon Jae-in. -- Ed.Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo (Yonhap)Ahn Cheol-soo had been better known as medical doctor-turned-entrepreneur, developer of computer virus vaccine, and celebrity mentor for the youths --

Search and rescue efforts are under way to find 22 crew members, including eight South Koreans, of a cargo ship that went missing in the South Atlantic last week, after two Filipino sailors were safely picked up in a life raft, the Seoul government said Sunday.The search for the Stellar Daisy, used by a South Korean shipping firm, began Saturday, one day after the ship‘s crew sent a text to their South Korean employer, saying their ship was sinking. The Marshall Islands-flagged ship departed Rio

INNISFREE ENTERS INDONESIA -- Beauty consultants pose at Amorepacific’s Innisfree store in Jakarta, the cosmetic giant’s first store in Indonesia, Friday. It officially opened on March 24. (Innisfree)

South Korea’s Celltrion said Friday that it has filed five petitions for an inter partes review of Genentech’s US patents on its blockbuster breast cancer drug Herceptin, as it prepares to launch Herzuma, its biosimilar version of Herceptin, in the US.　Celltrion has filed applications with the US Patent and Trademark Office challenging five patents on Herceptin held by Roche-owned Genentech from the course of Feb. 20 to March 24, the company said. The patents in question concern Herceptin’s admi

South Korea is home to one of the most advanced digital game markets in the world, ranking fourth in terms of game revenue by country after China, the US and Japan as of 2015.　Fueling the growth are Korea’s biggest game companies including Nexon, Netmarble Games, NCSoft and Smilegate — major content exporters that generate a significant part of their revenue from global markets such as China and Europe.Led by these players, the local game industry grew 7.5 percent on-year to 10.72 trillion won (

Nexon, a global online game company listed in Japan, is out to drive up its presence in the global game industry by continuing its efforts to offer well-developed games that are strategically localized for markets overseas.　Listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Nexon is already an international company, as around 60 percent of its revenue is currently generated abroad, with China being the biggest overseas revenue driver.Since its foundation in 1994, Nexon has produced classic online games such as

Mahra Al Dhahouri, a 33-year-old woman from the United Arab Emirates, suffers from autoimmune hepatitis, a disease in which the body’s own immune system attacks the liver and causes inflammation. 　Her disease progressed to the point that she needed a liver transplant. However, she could not undergo surgery as she could not find a suitable donor that matched her blood type. At South Korea’s Seoul National University Hospital, the patient found a solution: It was possible for her to receive a live

South Korean mobile messaging giant Kakao will introduce an artificial intelligence-powered voice assistant platform within the first half of this year, joining forerunners in the field such as Amazon, Google, Facebook and local rival Naver.　Kakao, which operates South Korea’s biggest mobile messenger KakaoTalk, announced Thursday that it has formed a new AI division within the company to develop its own AI voice assistant service platform.The company plans to launch the AI assistant platform by

South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Tuesday slapped 3M Korea and two local drugmakers with a temporary import, marketing and sales ban for breaching local pharmaceutical regulations.The local branch of US-based 3M, 3M Korea, which produces and sells office supplies and medical products here, faces a one-month sales ban on three products the ministry found were imported and sold from 2011 to 2015 without undergoing proper declaration procedures.The three 3M products include the 3M C

South Korean game developer Com2uS said Tuesday that its hit mobile game “Summoners War” has become the first Korea-made mobile game to rake in more than 1 trillion won ($900 million) in cumulative revenue.　This makes “Summoners War,” a mobile role-playing game launched worldwide in April 2014, the highest-grossing Korean mobile game to date, Com2uS said.After its launch three years ago, “Summoners War” became the No. 1 mobile game in the Apple App Stores of 53 countries and Google Play Stores o