Macrogen, South Korea’s biggest genome sequencing company, has set out to build a genomic and medical big data system designed to predict the risks of diseases for the Korean population and guide new drug development and treatment planning.

The Korean biotechnology firm said Friday that it had entered a partnership with the Korea Association of Health Promotion to amass genetic and medical information for joint research.

Macrogen and KAHP will set up a joint task force and each contribute their genomic and health and medical data to set up a new big data system that can be accessed for research.

The big data compiled by the two bodies will later be used to help single out illnesses or conditions specific to Koreans as well as guide new drug and treatment development processes, Macrogen said.

The data could also raise the accuracy of new drug response predictions as well as aid drug repositioning, which refers to the discovery of new uses for existing drugs, it added.

“We hope that both institutions can become partners in contributing to the development of future medical innovations and public health promotion,” Macrogen Chairman Seo Jeong-sun said in a statement.

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