Texas Medical Center Launches BioBridge with Republic of Korea to Expand Therapeutic and Medical Technology Development in US
HOUSTON (October 15, 2025) – A new collaboration between Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest innovation hub, and the Osong Medical Innovation Foundation (KBIOHealth), South Korea’s leading national medical initiative, is set to accelerate the market entry and commercialization of Korean startups in the United States through the TMC | Republic of Korea BioBridge. Under a new Memorandum of Understanding, both organizations will create gateway opportunities for entrepreneurs, researchers, clinicians, and industry partners. The partnership will also foster clinical research and facilitate collaborative projects and policy dialogues to advance innovation and commercialization across public, private and academic sectors.
“We are pleased to formalize this agreement with KBIOHealth from the Republic of Korea, a global leader in biotechnology and life science innovation. Gene and cell therapies are driving biotech innovation, opening possibilities for treating diseases once thought untreatable. Expanding biomanufacturing capacity is essential to delivering the next wave of these therapies, and partnerships with leading innovators will strengthen our efforts in Houston and internationally,” said William McKeon, president and CEO of the Texas Medical Center.
As part of the Republic of Korea BioBridge agreement, the Texas Medical Center will offer a customized program designed to serve as a strategic gateway for international healthcare companies preparing to enter the US market. This Global Innovators Launch Pad begins with a competitive application process, through which selected startup founders participate in a 10-week residency at the TMC Innovation Factory in Houston. Throughout the program, entrepreneurs receive targeted support in essential areas for US market success, including building foundational infrastructure, validating clinical approaches, and securing critical funding—accelerating their journey from innovation to impact.
“We are honored to partner with Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest life science innovation hub. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for Korea’s biohealth ecosystem, creating a powerful bridge between Osong and Houston. By combining KBIOHealth’s strength in research infrastructure and Korea’s biotech talent with TMC’s global network and accelerator platform, we aim to accelerate innovation and bring transformative solutions to patients worldwide,” said Myoung Su Lee, Chairman, KBIOHealth.
The TMC Korea BioBridge Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on October 15, 2024, in Osong, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea, by William F. McKeon, President and CEO of Texas Medical Center and Myoung Su Lee, Chairman, KBIOHealth.
This is the seventh international strategic alliance, including those with the Netherlands, Australia, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland and Japan. Since 2016, TMC’s BioBridges have welcomed over 80 startup companies specializing in digital health and medical devices across various critical areas such as neurology, oncology, patient engagement, surgery, orthopedics, cardiovascular health, transplantation, intensive care, and ophthalmology.
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About Texas Medical Center (TMC): TMC is the world’s most comprehensive life science ecosystem at the forefront of advancing life sciences. TMC is on a mission to further accelerate the pace of healing by harnessing our collective expertise in innovation, research, development, production, and patient care within a single, centralized medical ecosystem. With over 70+ million square feet and 120,000+ employees, TMC is leveraging the collective power by pioneering a revolutionary life sciences initiative to house the entire treatment of life cycle from discovery to delivery, within a single, world-class medical complex, on a scale never seen before.
About Texas Medical Center Innovation: Texas Medical Center Innovation forms, fosters and recruits companies that are writing the future of healthcare. Functioning as an ecosystem to accelerate the development, scaling and commercialization of healthcare and life-science startups, TMCi performs diligence on the companies seeking to progress toward clinical and business milestones in collaboration with Texas Medical Center member institutions and our global network of advisors. We align these resources through our globally recognized programs: Biodesign, Accelerator for Cancer Therapeutics, and Health Tech, which utilize rapid prototyping labs, wet labs and collaborative spaces from the TMC Innovation Factory (former Nabisco building) for medical device creation, bioprinting, and advanced R&D.
About KBIOHealth (Osong Medical Innovation Foundation): Headquartered in Osong, Republic of Korea, KBIOHealth is Korea’s leading national institution dedicated to advancing pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device innovation. Established by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, KBIOHealth provides world-class research infrastructure including GMP facilities, preclinical support, and specialized centers for biologics, vaccines, and cell & gene therapy. Located in the heart of Osong Biovalley, home to more than 100 resident companies and research institutions, KBIOHealth serves as Korea’s central hub for biohealth R&D, technology transfer, and global collaboration.