Co-hosted by YU Cell Culture Research Institute and K-U City Project Group

Celebrating Completion of GMP Facility for Cell Culture Media Production

T-ribose Co., Ltd. Launches Full-Scale Media Production Following Successful Incubation at YU

[September 30, 2025]

Yeungnam University (President CHOI Oe-chool) held the “2025 Cell Culture Media Symposium” on September 24 at its Uiseong Branch, co-hosted by the YU Cell Culture Research Institute and the K-U City Cell Culture Project Group (Director and Head: Professor CHOI In-ho, Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering).

The symposium commemorated the completion of a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility dedicated to cell culture media production — a long-awaited project for Gyeongsangbuk-do — and celebrated T-ribose Co., Ltd., which successfully completed a three-year incubation program at YU’s Business Incubation Center and has now begun full-scale media production.

 T-ribose has built its technological capabilities through national R&D projects conducted jointly with the YU Cell Culture Research Institute. In 2023, four YU graduates trained through the K-U City pilot project, supported by Gyeongsangbuk-do and Uiseong-gun, laid the groundwork for the localization of media production.

 The symposium featured presentations by both domestic and international experts, including:

▲Professor CHOI In-ho (YU) – “Next-Generation Media Production Technologies Using In Silico and Artificial Intelligence”

▲MOON Ik-jae (T-ribose Co., Ltd.) – “Vision and Strategy for Domestic Media Production”

▲Appachu Kodira (Vice President, K-Cell Biosciences) – “Next-Generation Media Production Processes”

▲Albert Cheong (Senior Manager, Lonza) – “Media Development for Biopharmaceutical Production” Additionally, ▲SON Eun-joo (CEO, BioApp) presented on “Plant-Based Recombinant Proteins,” and ▲KIM Kyung-nam (CEO, MicroDigital) introduced “Single-Use Bags for Cell Culture Media Storage.” The event concluded with a comprehensive panel discussion among industry, academia, and research experts, fostering in-depth dialogue on key issues.

Since establishing its branch at the Uiseong Cell Culture Industry Support Center in 2015, YU has built a robust collaboration framework with industry partners. This year, the university was selected for the Ministry of Education’s RISE Project, through which it plans to train industry-tailored specialists in cell culture over the next five years.

Professor CHOI In-ho stated, “Despite the challenges in organizing such events, the support from academia, industry, government, and the local community has enabled us to continue this symposium. This event represents a model case of regional research institutions and local governments collaborating to foster core biotechnologies into leading local industries.” He added, “The YU Cell Culture Research Institute and K-U City Project Group will continue close collaboration with T-ribose Co., Ltd. in media R&D and talent cultivation. We will do our utmost to establish the Uiseong Cell Bio Industrial Complex as a key hub of Korea’s biotechnology industry.”