New brain study center at Gachon

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New brain study center at Gachon

Gachon Medical School in Incheon will establish a state-of-the-art brain research center near Songdo by next May. The school announced yesterday that it invited Cho Jang-hee, an internationally recognized scholar, to be the center’s director. Mr. Cho developed a brain scanning mechanism known as positron emission tomography, or PET. Like computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), PET enables scientists to capture images of the interior of the body. The school recently signed a 15-year contract with Mr. Cho in which the professor’s yearly income will be $300,000. Gachon plans to spend about 37 billion won ($32 million) to establish the center, which will carry his name. “I happily accepted the offer, because of the obvious strong will of Chairman Lee Gil-yu. I also thought that it would be nice to do something for my country in my last years,” Mr. Cho, 68, said. The brain center will develop methods and tools that will enable minuscule movements within the brain to be seen clearly. The first goal is to develop an imaging mechanism that combines MRI and PET. “If we are able to fuse MRI and PET, we will be able to see what is happening in the brain through moving images instead of still photographs,” said Lee Eon, director of the school’s brain department. “This technology will enable treatment for uncurable diseases such as Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease. It could also be used in studying memories or emotions,” he said. by Ko Jong-kwan, Shim Jae-woo
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