Korea Institute of Materials Sciences(KIMS) succeeded in developing a COVID-19 anti-virus mask coated with copper nano thin film by applying ion beam technology. The newly developed technology solves the toxic problem of copper nanoparticles by firmly attaching copper nano thin film without damaging KF94 mask polypropylene filters. The research team treated polypropylene filter fibers with ion beam and vacuum deposited a 20-nano-meter copper thin film. The surface layer produced by the ion beam process prevents the peel-off of copper nano thin film to prevent side effects caused by respiratory infiltration of copper nanoparticles. This research was carried out under the "Development of materials and systems for removing low-temperature plasma-applied pathogens" project funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the results were published on April 22nd in the Polymers, a polymeric journal.

A COVID-19 vaccine candidate substance (IN-B009) developed by the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) and transferred to inno.N via a technology transfer is set for phase I clinical trials. Inno.N submitted a Phase I clinical trial plan to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and plans to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the vaccine candidate substance (IN-B009) for healthy adults after the MFDS approval process. The research team developed the substance and transferred the technology to inno.N in June of 2020, and has since jointly conducted a drug-effect and preclinical study of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate with inno.N. Inno.N will begin Phase I clinical trials as soon as the clinical trial plan is approved based on safety and validity results obtained from previous clinical trials.

The Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology(KRICT) has reported that it has developed a temperature change detection device that can immediately check whether the COVID-19 vaccine has been safely stored and distributed at low temperatures. Thus far, there has been no intuitive way to check whether vaccines have been stored and distributed at subzero temperatures. The research team developed a simple device that can check the storage temperature status of vaccines through the attachment of a container containing certain chemicals next to the vaccine bottle. When applied to a Pfizer vaccine that must be stored at cryogenic temperatures as low as minus 70 degrees Celsius, color spreads within five minutes of exposure to a temperature of minus 60 degrees Celsius, and changes can be detected within 21 minutes when the container is exposed to room temperature (20 degrees Celsius). The technology described here can confirm whether the vaccine has been stored at a safe temperature.

Along with Samsung Medical Center, Korea Institute of Materials Sciences(KIMS) has developed the world's first on-site gene PCR technology that can diagnose eight kinds of genes (4 bacteria and 4 viruses) that cause acute respiratory infections within 30 minutes by combining 3D optical amplification array sensors and isothermal PCR technology. The "on-site multi-diagnosis technology of acute respiratory infections" developed by the research team was also valid for clinical samples taken with nasopharynx swab (non-pharyngeal swab) of infected people. In the future, the KIMS plans to confirm the reliability of medical devices and proceed with licensing and approval by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety through a large-scale clinical trial of people infected with the COVID-19. It is expected that the research outcomes contribute to the quality of life and a safe society.

World Institute of Kimchi (WIKIM) said that "the nutrients in kimchi control the antioxidative system in the body, desensitizing neural channels (Transient Receptor Potential, TRP) that trigger COVID-19 symptoms." The results were identified through a joint study with Jean Bousquet, an Honorary Professor of Pulmonary Medicine at Montpellier University, France. In the study, the research team found that lactic acid bacteria produced in large during fermentation of kimchi and various nutrients such as sulforaphane (kimchi cabbage), allicin (garlic), capsaicin (red pepper), and gingerol (ginger), which are abundant in kimchi, interact with Nrf2, an antioxidative system in the body, and it removes harmful free radicals caused by COVID-19. The joint research results were published in Clinical and Translational Allergy (Jean Bousquet, Hak-Jong Choi, et al., Nrf2-interaction nutrients and COVID-19: time for research to develop adaptation strategies, (2020), Clinical and Translational Allergy, 10(1):58. doi: 10.1186/s13601-020-00362-7).

Last December, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) participated in anthe international comparison study on the COVID-19 virus RNA measurement. with metrology experts from various countries. The experts from twenty-one National Metrology Institutes and expert laboratories from s in sixteen CCQM*-member countries in belonging to the CCQM (Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance: Metrology in Chemistry and Biology) took part in this study. This comparison studyparticipated in this comparison which was held urgently in has been organized iorganized and executed in an expedited manner for timely responding to provide a timely response to the COVID-19 Ppandemic. The Biometrology Group of KRISS submitted measurement results using its unique in-house developedown direct measurementcounting of single-molecule method as well as Rreverse Ttranscription- Ddigital PCR (RT-dPCR), which to together further improved the reliability of the results. All i participating institutes participating in the international comparison demonstrated high accuracy reference measurement capability systems for SARS-CoV-2 testing and secured the international equivalence. This study, asAs a result, clearly demonstrated the international equivalence of KRISS RNA measurement technology in KRISS and its COVID-19 reference materials developed by KRISS in July of 2020 using this technology has been demonstrated.0. *CCQM: Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance: Metrology in Chemistry and Biology

Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), along with a big data specialized company Vive company Corp. and a ship evacuation solution startup i Captain, has developed a technology to predict the risk of Covid-19 spread in multi-use facilities for the first time. KAERI, along with AI specialized companies, used Unity* to model the space of multi-use facilities and the path of individual users. Based on this information, KAERI adapted epidemic probability models to calculate the risk of all the users and the entire facility according to the distance between people. Using this simulation technology, an optimal quarantine policy can be selected by predicting the risk in consideration of factors such as population density at the facility and mask wearing. Also, the optimal route can be found by predicting the risk associated with the paths.   *Integrated software for creating interactive content such as 3D animation, architectural visualization, virtual reality and so on. 

The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) said that Lee Joon-seok's team in Molecular Recognition Research Center developed a diagnostic platform that can capture and detect viruses in the air at the same time through a joint study with Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology(GIST)'s chemistry professor Kim Min-gon and Konkuk University's veterinary professor Song Chang-seon. The disposable virus capture and diagnosis kit, developed by the researchers, is similar to the pregnancy diagnosis kit, and can easily confirm the existence of floating viruses by capturing them up to 50 minutes in the field by analyzing them for 10 to 30 minutes without separation.

In a joint research with Yeungnam University and Kyungpook National University, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) discovered that Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBP) causes lung damage due to cytokine storms in patients infected with COVID-19 and proposed SREBP as a biomarker for determining the severity of the COVID-19. SREBPs activates enzymes involved in cholesterol biosynthesis, which is a key factor to constant level of cholesterol and lipid as well as to in-birth immune responses in the liver and other biological tissues. The joint research group monitored the level of activation of the regulatory protein from the blood of Covid-19 infected patients and identified the correlated with inflammatory cytokine release and vascular disruption.

Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) confirmed the efficacy of vaccine and therapeutic agent candidates in specific model primates utilizing its ABSL-3 biosafety facility.