Asia’s biggest international biotechnology and health care convention Bio Korea 2016 will kick off at Coex in southern Seoul on Wednesday, bringing together some 23,000 industry officials and experts to discuss future trends in the local and international bio-health sector.

The three-day event will spotlight the latest advancements in digital health care, an area driven by developments in artificial intelligence, big-data based precision medicine, stem cells and regenerative medicine, health care services and technology licensing, among others.


Bio Korea 2016 aims to become “a platform for industry leaders, government officials and companies to hold open-ended dialogues on biotech R&D, biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, biotech ventures and finances,” said president Lee Young-chan of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, the event’s main organizer.

The convention, in its 11th year, consists of the main conference sessions -- during which some 220 local and international industry officials will present their insights in their respective fields -- as well as a business forum offering partnership opportunities to participants.

Officials from Korean biopharma leaders such as Hanmi Pharmaceutical, Samsung BioLogics, Celltrion and Yuhan Corp., as well as major global companies and institutions will share their insights during the sessions.

The business forum -- to host more than 1,000 meetings for some 300 participating companies -- is expected to give promising biotech start-ups opportunities to partner with global health care giants such as Johnson & Johnson, MSD, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Novartis and Amway.

The event will also showcase some 466 exhibition booths set up by 244 small and large companies from 45 countries around the world, including Korea, which specialize in the biotechnology and health business field.

For more information, visit www.biokorea.org or call the organizing committee at (02) 1661- 0810.

By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)