Jung-mok Seo, CEO of Lynk Solutec, a company developing innovative medical devices based on medical device coating technology, was invited as a speaker at the 2024 Yonsei University Laboratory Startup Conference.
During the event, CEO Seo presented successful cases of technology startups as a professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Leading the Yonsei University BioLogical Interface and Sensor Systems Laboratory, he developed a coating technology that can fundamentally inhibit infection, inflammation, and thrombosis for the first time in the world. He shared vibrant examples of how he is expanding his business by showcasing innovative medical devices such as “an endoscopic cap that provides a clear surgical view” and “a ureteral stent that inhibits calcification”
In the following “Laboratory Startup Talk Concert,” he participated in a panel discussion with the Yonsei University Startup Support Team. CEO Seo shared insights on the development direction and challenges of the laboratory startup ecosystem, drawing significant interest from the audience.
Lynk Solutec, a company developing innovative medical devices based on medical device coating technology, is accelerating its entry into the global medical device market with its ISO 13485 certification.
Lynk Solutec has obtained ISO 13485 certification for the design, development, manufacturing, and sales of non-absorbable sutures and endoscopic connectors. This certification signifies that the company has facilities that produce innovative products such as the award-winning ‘Endoscopic Cap’ at CES 2024 and the scarce ‘Non-Absorbable Sutures for Ptosis,’ which have been designated as rare medical devices, all in compliance with international standards.
ISO 13485 is an international standard for medical device quality management systems, ensuring that a company meets global requirements for management and quality control from development to production of medical devices. It is known that this certification can only be obtained by meeting the stringent requirements of countries with high-quality standards such as Europe and Canada, and companies that receive this certification are considered qualified to export medical devices to major countries worldwide.
Lynk Solutec is a spin-off company from BioLogical interfaces and Sensor Systems Laboratory at Yonsei University and has developed the ‘Lynk Coating’ medical coating technology, which addresses surgical complications such as infections, inflammation, and thrombosis. Utilizing this technology, the company has introduced innovative medical devices like endoscopic caps that provide clear vision during endoscopic surgery and ureteral stents that prevent encrustation.
A workshop was held for 2 days from June 20 to revitalize convergence research between Yonsei Health System and Yonsei University of Engineering and to develop researchers’ technological commercialization capabilities.
The workshop was attended by 35 professors from Yonsei Health System and Yonsei University of Engineering and was organized to share cases linking research results to commercialization and discuss cooperation.
Jungmok Seo, CEO of Lynk Solutec (Professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Yonsei University), introduced medical device coating technology under the theme of “Innovative Medical Devices Through Prevention of Bio-adhesion.”
Lynk Coating, developed by CEO Seo, is a patented coating technology that prevents the attachment of bio-materials such as blood, mucus, and bacteria. Unlike the existing technology, it can be applied to various materials such as glass, polymer, and plastic, and can be coated stably in complex structures, drawing attention from industry and academia.
Based on this coating technology, Lynk Solutec has released a disposable cap C.E.V. (Clear Endo Vision) to help secure vision during endoscopic surgery and is developing ureter stents that prevent crust formation and non-absorbable sutures designated as rare medical devices.
LynkSolutec, which developed nano-coating technology for medical devices, completed the CES 2024 exhibition, the world’s largest consumer electronics and IT exhibition held in Las Vegas from the 9th to the 12th.
At CES 2024, LynkSolutec announced the launch of its disposable endoscopic cap “C.E.V.” with nano-coating technology. Under the slogan “Medical Side Effects? Not in Our World,” the demonstration was conducted using 3D video and actual endoscopes. In this process, famous endoscopy companies and many medical device manufacturers wooed Lynksolutec.
In addition to operating the booth, Seo Jungmok, a CEO at LynkSolutec, attended a meeting with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon as the representative of a company and talked about regulating start-ups and improving the system. Seo also held an event to introduce his company’s core technology and C.E.V., an innovation award-winning product, at the main stage of the Seoul Pavilion and the Taiwan Pavilion.
“We made many achievements through CES 2024,” said Seo, CEO of LynkSolutec. “In addition to successfully introducing our first product to overseas markets, we have secured a network that will serve as a bridgehead to advance into overseas markets,” he said. “Based on this, we plan to rapidly expand our influence to the global market.”
Meanwhile, C.E.V. is a new medical device that can block even blood, mucus, and bacteria that cannot be blocked by anti-fog agents used in existing endoscopic surgery. It won two awards at the CES 2024 Innovation Awards.
The largest number of domestic ventures and startups that won the Innovation Award at CES 2024 held in Las Vegas from the 9th to the 12th were counted as 116, the largest ever. In particular, domestic startups are drawing attention by sweeping innovation awards in the “Human Security for All (HS4A)” field, a key theme of CES.
The U.S. Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which is responsible for the CES, has selected human security as an important topic at this year’s CES as well as last year. Human security is a concept in which dignity and peace are protected only when human life is enriched in various ways such as △ food △ medical care △ environment △ safety.
Although some pointed out that it does not match CES, a high-tech exhibition hall, human security is drawing attention as an important pillar of the future industry after the CTA embodied it as a concept suitable for CES, saying, “It is solving problems with high-tech technology in terms of sustainability.”
According to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the CTA on the 7th, 313 companies (379 products) around the world received the CES 2024 Innovation Award in 28 fields, including artificial intelligence (AI), digital health, smart city, and robotics, as of the 4th. Among them, 134 Korean companies (158 products), including large and medium-sized ones, accounted for 42.8 percent of the total. The number of award-winning companies is expected to increase further as additional announcements are still to be made.
Among the domestic companies that received the Innovation Award, 116 ventures and startups were awarded last year (111). The number of ventures and startups that received the Best Innovation Award also increased from five last year to seven this year.
In particular, a total of 16 companies were listed in the field of human security among the innovation awards, and as many as 12 companies (75%) were found to be domestic startups. The CES Innovation Award is an award given to products with excellent technology and innovation among products submitted at CES.
LynkSolutec, a medical device manufacturer using nanotechnology, has developed a special coating technology that can prevent blood adhering or fogging to endoscopic lenses, obstructing a doctor’s vision. According to the CTA, this can improve surgical safety and the accuracy of patient treatment.
“At this year’s CES, the concept of human security that solves global problems with technology will become important in terms of sustainability,” CTA CEO Gary Shapiro said. “I believe that many human and human security issues can be solved with technology. Technology can be a solution for innovation.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to increase support, saying that 91 (78.4%) out of 116 ventures and startups that won the Innovation Award participated in start-up support projects such as “TIPS,” a private investment-led technology development support project, and commercialization support.
Oh Young-joo, Minister of SMEs and Startups, said, “Our venture and start-up were able to achieve the highest performance ever at CES 2024 because of the company’s innovative efforts and government support,” adding, “We will support domestic start-ups to show excellent technology and innovation capabilities around the world and create new business opportunities overseas through CES.”
