Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital

Under the theme of ‘Novel Approaches in Cardiovascular Disease’, the 9th Hallym-Uppsala International Symposium was successfully held at Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital on September 19, 2017.

As cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have emerged as a major public health problem and impose an escalating burden on the health care system all over the world, the symposium attracted nearly 140 participants, including 9 prominent speakers in the field of cardiology.

Distinguished scholars from Uppsala University, Sweden, including Professor Agneta Siegbahn, Professor Claes Held, and Professor Jonas Oldgren presented the research outcomes and shared their experiences on the issue.

The symposium was comprised of two sessions with 10 lectures and panel discussions. The first session covered ‘Micro RNA, extracellular vesicles and novel biomarker methods in cardiovascular disease’, ‘Unmet needs in the management of acute myocardial infarction: From pharmacodynamic perspectives’, ‘Clinical utility of biomarkers in cardiovascular disease’, and ‘Clinical meaning of vasa vasorum: From early atherosclerosis to the vulnerable plaque’.

In the second session, speakers presented on ‘New concept for pragmatic clinical trials in cardiovascular disease’, ‘Acute heart failure in Korea: Focused on temporal trends’, and ‘Hypertension in Korea: Focused on age and subclinical target organ damages’. After a panel discussion and a short coffee break, the session continued with presentations on ‘Real world evidence confirming results from clinical trials’, ‘Acute myocardial infarction in Korea: Focused on current treatment and outcomes’, and ‘Peripartum cardiomyopathy in Korea: Focused on prevalence and risk factors’.

At the closing ceremony, Dr. Kyung-Soon Hong, Dean for Hallym University College of Medicine said, “The presentations on Micro RNA, extracellular vesicles and novel biomarker methods by Prof. Siegbahn and Prof. Held were very impressive. Prof. Oldgren’s presentation on new concept for pragmatic clinical trials has broadened our horizons as well. By presenting on acute myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, heart failure, hypertension, and peripartum cardiomyopathy, professors of Hallym University also shared a precious knowledge with others.”

“I’m really glad that many prominent professors from major medical institutions in Korea, such as Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University, Chungbuk National University, Gachon University, Sungkyunkwan University, and University of Ulsan, have joined here with us as chairs and panels. The discussion led by these experts was very fruitful, and I wish both institutions will take this opportunity to make further progress in research in the field of cardiovascular disease treatment,” she added.

The specific programs including topics and speakers are as follows:

■ Session 1
1. Micro RNA, extracellular vesicles and novel biomarker methods in cardiovascular disease
(Prof. Agneta Siegbahn, Dept. of Medical Sciences, Coagulation and Inflammation, Clinical Biomarkers Facility, Uppsala University)
2. Unmet needs in the management of acute myocardial infarction: From pharmacodynamic perspectives
(Prof. Jung Rae Cho, Div. of Cardiology, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Hallym University)
3. Clinical utility of biomarkers in cardiovascular disease
(Associate Prof. Claes Held, Dept. of Medical Sciences, Cardiology, Uppsala University / Researcher, UCR-Uppsala Clinical Research Center)
4. Clinical meaning of vasa vasorum: From early atherosclerosis to the vulnerable plaque
(Prof. Kyoung-Ha Park, Div. of Cardiology, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Hallym University)

■ Session 2
1. New concept for pragmatic clinical trials in cardiovascular disease
(Prof. Jonas Oldgren, Dept. of Medical Sciences, Cardiology, Uppsala University / Head at UCR-Uppsala Clinical Research Center)
2. Acute heart failure in Korea: Focused on temporal trends
(Associate Prof. Jong-Chan Youn, Div. of Cardiology, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Hallym University)
3. Hypertension in Korea: Focused on age and subclinical target organ damages
(Assistant Prof. Suk-Won Choi, Div. of Cardiology, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Hallym University)
4. Real world evidence confirming results from clinical trials
(Associate Prof. Claes Held, Dept. of Medical Sciences, Cardiology, Uppsala University)
5. Acute myocardial infarction in Korea: Focused on current treatment and outcomes
(Associate Prof. Sang-Ho Jo, Div. of Cardiology, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Hallym University)
6. Peripartum cardiomyopathy in Korea: Focused on prevalence and risk factors
(Clinical Assistant Prof. Sunki Lee, Div. of Cardiology, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital)

By Chul Kwon, Int’l Cooperation Team, HUMC (chris@hallym.or.kr)