[KMA News] Why Did a Stem Cell Therapy Company Establish a Specialized Hospital?

Why Did a Stem Cell Therapy Company Establish a Specialized Hospital?
CEO Kim Hyun-soo: “It’s the Field Where I Can Excel Most as a Clinician”
“We Will Serve as a Role Model for Medical Professionals Unfamiliar with Stem Cell Therapy”

Stem cell therapy company Pamicell has established a specialized hospital for stem cell therapy. Kim Hyun-soo, CEO of Pamicell and a former professor of hematology and oncology, emphasized that the goal was to fulfill his duty as a clinician in the field where he excels most. We spoke with him in detail about the specialized stem cell hospital.

Kim Hyun-soo, CEO of PamiCell, stated during a meeting with *The Korean Medical Association News* on the 14th, “We recently opened ‘Internal Medicine Clinic,’ a specialized stem cell medical institution that brings together our expertise in stem cell research.”

The clinic will provide basic internal medicine care as well as specialized stem cell treatments. In the field of internal medicine, stem cell therapy can be applied to conditions ranging from central nervous system disorders to heart disease. In addition to internal medicine, the clinic will offer plastic surgery services, enabling the use of stem cell therapy for scar treatment and skin regeneration. The goal is to establish a collaborative research framework across these fields while providing both internal medicine and plastic surgery services.

From Hematology-Oncology Physician to Company Founder... A 9-Year Journey from Development to Approval

CEO Kim was a hematologist-oncologist treating terminally ill cancer patients at Ajou University Hospital. While searching for new treatment methods for these patients, he began stem cell research, which ultimately led him to establish PamiCell, a stem cell therapy company, in May 2002.

Through its in-house Stem Cell Therapy Research Center, PamiCell underwent repeated research and setbacks before receiving approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2011 for “Cellgram-AMI,” a stem cell therapy for treating myocardial infarction.

Pamisell, which was recognized at the time as “the world’s first commercially available stem cell therapy,” took a total of nine years to go from development to marketing approval. CEO Kim stated, “It took nine years—a considerable amount of time—to obtain approval, and there were many challenges along the way while running the biotech business,” adding, “However, the company’s operations have recently stabilized. "I established a medical institution to focus on the field where I can contribute most effectively as a clinician," he said.