Chronic disease and regenerative medicine research to expand as public-private-academic council launches; data platform and biobank planned

[Getty Images Bank]
[Getty Images Bank]

The government is moving to elevate companion animal disease research to the national level, building an integrated research framework in collaboration with the private sector and academia. The push aims to address the rise of chronic diseases linked to aging companion animals and to lay the groundwork for future medical technologies such as regenerative medicine.

The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency announced Tuesday that it launched a "companion animal sector consultative body" at its headquarters in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, on May 26, where participants discussed the direction of companion animal disease research and ways to establish a cooperative framework.

As the number of pet-owning households grows and the related industry expands, the range of disease types is also widening. Chronic and non-communicable conditions such as tumors, diabetes and obesity are on the rise as companion animals live longer, yet research in this area remains comparatively limited.

In practice, only 26 of the 186 research projects the agency carried out last year were related to companion animals — just 14 percent of the total.

In response, the agency established a "Companion Animal Disease Research Laboratory" within its viral disease division in January. The laboratory handles research into both infectious and non-communicable diseases in companion animals, as well as building the operational foundation for a biological resource bank and conducting stem cell research.

The newly launched consultative body brought together more than 20 participants, including officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the agency, industry representatives, academics and clinical specialists.

Discussions at the inaugural meeting covered building a permanent surveillance system for legally designated and emerging infectious diseases, introducing a disease data-based outbreak prediction system, and advancing diagnostic capabilities through the operation of a national reference laboratory.

Participants also raised the need for research into age-related diseases in companion animals, standardization of stem cell-based treatment technologies, and the development of national-level disease databases.

Attendees proposed establishing a permanent monitoring system involving private veterinary clinics and universities, and accumulating disease data at the national level. Calls were also made to standardize veterinary procedures and disease nomenclature to build a medical data platform.

The meeting also addressed the need to establish a biobank for the systematic collection and management of blood, tissue, cells and genetic information. Participants identified further priorities as well: securing the safety of stem cell-based regenerative medicine technologies and setting usage standards, and expanding the sharing of pathogen information to support the development of domestically produced companion animal vaccines.

The agency plans to incorporate the consultative body's recommendations into future research planning, and to expand its research infrastructure — including disease research, diagnostic data development and biological resource accumulation — centered on the Companion Animal Disease Research Laboratory.

"This consultative body is the first step toward building a cooperative foundation that organically connects companion animal disease research, policy and the field," agency chief Choe Jeong-rok said. "Through public-private-academic collaboration, we will advance the research framework for responding to companion animal diseases and contribute to creating an environment where people and their companion animals can coexist in good health."


adastra@heraldcorp.com