Korea Dementia Research Center

What Korea Dementia Research Center does

Korea Dementia Research Center (KDRC, 치매극복연구개발사업단) is a Korean government R&D consortium launched on August 1, 2020 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Science and ICT, implemented through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) and headquartered at Seoul National University's Yeongeon Campus in Seoul. It coordinates national dementia research across three sequential phases (Phase 1: 2020-2022 platform build; Phase 2: 2023-2025 biomarker validation; Phase 3: 2026-2028 IND-enabling and commercialization) with 198.7 billion KRW of cumulative government budget allocated through 2028 under Director Inhee Mook-Jung, a Seoul National University College of Medicine biochemistry professor.

KDRC's core technical products are the Trial Ready Registry (TRR) and Dementia Platform Korea (DPK), launched in July 2022, which together provide a national integrated infrastructure for dementia research data management — covering clinical records (95,928), brain imaging (33,287), brain tissue, CSF, and blood specimens across 37,194 participants. The organization also funds the development of AI-based diagnostic technologies spanning speech/language analysis for cognitive screening, brain MRI/PET image analysis, and multi-modal biomarker systems combining voice, eye-tracking, and drawing signals. It operates additional institutional infrastructure including the IRIS R&D project management system and a Weekly Post newsletter. KDRC's business model is non-commercial: it does not sell products or services to customers, but allocates government-funded R&D grants to researchers at Korean universities and hospitals, with support sought from domestic biopharma for downstream commercialization in later phases. Its primary "customers" in operational terms are academic and clinical researchers at partner institutions, who access the registry, data platform, and grant funding to conduct dementia research.

Name

Korea Dementia Research Center

Legal name

치매극복연구개발사업단

Website

https://kdrc.re.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

KDRC is a South Korean government R&D consortium (2020-2028) coordinating national dementia research across universities and hospitals, operating the TRR-DPK data platform and funding AI-based diagnostic, biomarker, and drug development projects under two federal ministries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dementia Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Decentralized/Hybrid Trial Enablement (DCT) Platforms (HLACAOAL)

Keywords

• Dementia research
• Clinical trial registry
• Neuroscience R&D
• Biomedical research funding
• Medical data platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government R&D Funding: KDRC is a government-funded research and development initiative jointly launched by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Science and ICT in August 2020. The program operates with allocated government budget to support dementia research projects through 2028.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KDRC is a government-funded R&D consortium that coordinates national dementia research across South Korea through funding, platform infrastructure, and collaboration management. Its core deliverables include the Trial Ready Registry (TRR) and Dementia Platform Korea (DPK) systems for clinical trial recruitment and research data integration, AI-based diagnostic technology development, and management of multi-institutional research projects spanning cause identification, early prediction/diagnosis, and prevention/treatment development for dementia.

Product overview

Korea Dementia Research Center (KDRC) operates as a government-funded R&D program (2020-2028) focused on overcoming dementia through three core research pillars: identifying causes and pathogenic mechanisms, developing predictive diagnostic technologies, and creating prevention/treatment technologies. The organization's primary technological products include the TRR-DPK infrastructure system—a nationally-developed database platform comprising the Trial Ready Registry (TRR) for patient enrollment in clinical trials and the Dementia Platform Korea (DPK) for research data integration and collaboration. KDRC also develops AI-based diagnostic technologies including voice/language analysis platforms for cognitive assessment, brain imaging AI analysis tools, and multi-modal biomarker systems. The organization publishes a Weekly Post newsletter and manages a comprehensive research project portfolio spanning drug development, diagnostic technologies, and prevention programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TRR-DPK: Trial Ready Registry - Dementia Platform Korea: an integrated platform for dementia research data management, large-scale data linkage, research performance dissemination, and clinical trial readiness.
• TRR (Trial Ready Registry)
• DPK (Dementia Platform Korea)

Products and services

• Trial Ready Registry (TRR) A patient registry system for clinical trial recruitment, aiming to register approximately 10,000 participants by 2028 for dementia observation studies and clinical trials. Connects patient classification information, research data, and human-derived samples across 20+ target hospitals.
• Dementia Platform Korea (DPK) A web-based research data integration and collaboration platform for dementia researchers, enabling secure exchange of research information, metadata access, and data linkage across institutions. Launched in July 2022 at www.dpk.re.kr.
• Dementia Research Information Integration and Association System
• AI-Based Dementia Early Prediction System An open database platform with AI-based prediction system for early dementia detection, utilizing voice, eye-tracking, drawing, and multi-modal digital biomarkers for contactless dementia screening and cognitive assessment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Target to slow annual dementia growth rate by 5 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability11 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Science & Technology Job Creation Agency (과학기술일자리진흥원)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2022MOU for cooperation in science and technology workforce development related to dementia research.
• Korean Society of Geriatric Psychiatry (대한노인정신의학회)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 April 2022MOU for clinical research collaboration in geriatric psychiatry and dementia care.
• Korean Bio Association (한국바이오협회)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 April 2022MOU for biotechnology collaboration to support dementia research and development.
• Pharmaceutical Society of Korea (대한약학회)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2022MOU for pharmaceutical research collaboration in dementia drug development.
• Korean Dementia Association (대한치매학회)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2022MOU for academic collaboration to advance dementia research and technology development.
• Korea Institute of Chemical Technology (한국화학연구원)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 December 2021MOU for collaboration in chemical and pharmaceutical research related to dementia drug development.
• Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio Association (한국제약바이오협회)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 September 2021MOU signed for collaboration in pharmaceutical and biotech research to support dementia treatment development.
• Asan Medical Center (AMC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 July 2021Three-way MOU signed with AMC and Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN) to re-promote DIAN-Korea and share data on patients and research. AMC participates in DIAN international collaborative research since 2015, with DIAN-Korea re-promoted in 2021.
• Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 July 2021International consortium based at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, launched in 2008 to find solutions to treat or prevent Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's disease (DIAD). DIAN-Korea enables Korean families with DIAD to participate in international clinical research.
• Dementias Platform UK (DPUK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 July 2021MOU signed July 2021 to work together for global benefit. The two organizations collaborate to provide shared access to data, develop best practice in running experimental studies, and recruit participants to trials. Collaboration focuses on DPUK's three major workstreams: Data Portal, Experimental Medicine Incubator, and Trials Delivery Framework.
• Korea Brain Research Institute (한국뇌연구원)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2021MOU for brain research cooperation and knowledge sharing in neuroscience and dementia research.
• Central Dementia Center (중앙치매센터)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2021MOU signed for cooperation in dementia research and data sharing to advance understanding and treatment of dementia in Korea.
• Seoul National University Hospital Biobank (인체자원은행)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2021MOU for human bio-sample management and research collaboration to support dementia research with standardized biospecimens.
• Seoul National University Hospital Dementia Brain Bank (치매 뇌은행)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2021MOU signed October 2021 for brain tissue research collaboration to advance understanding of dementia pathology.
• National Institute on Aging (NIH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner for dementia research collaboration and data sharing through NIH programs.
• Mass General HospitalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS partner for international dementia research collaboration.
• Japan Society for Dementia ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner for regional dementia research collaboration in East Asia.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• European Prevention of Alzheimer's Dementia (EPAD): Pan-European initiative building a longitudinal cohort and trial-ready registry for Alzheimer's prevention studies. Direct peer to KDRC's TRR model and shares the goal of pre-symptomatic patient identification for clinical trials.
• Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN): Washington University-based international consortium for dominantly inherited Alzheimer's. DIAN is already a KDRC core partner via DIAN-Korea and shares the same disease-modifying drug development mandate and international trial recruitment model.
• Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI): Long-running longitudinal dementia study combining clinical, imaging, and biospecimen data across US/Canada/global sites. Closest peer to KDRC's integrated clinical+imaging+biospecimen database architecture and to its AI imaging analysis workstreams.
• Global Alzheimer's Association Interactive Network (GAAIN): Federated data network connecting Alzheimer's research datasets globally. Peer to KDRC's DPK data sharing platform and to its goal of cross-institutional metadata federation for dementia researchers.
• Dementias Platform UK (DPUK): UK-based integrated dementia research data portal and trials delivery network. Most direct analog to KDRC's TRR-DPK—DPUK and KDRC even share a 2021 MOU on data sharing and trial recruitment, making them sister platforms in their respective national ecosystems.
• UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI): National UK institute coordinating dementia research across 7 centres with major government and charity funding. Directly comparable in mandate, scale, and consortium-driven model to KDRC's national coordinating role in Korea.
• Brain Health Registry (UCSF): UCSF-run online registry recruiting participants for dementia and aging research studies. Direct functional analog to KDRC's Trial Ready Registry in accelerating clinical trial recruitment at scale.

Broad incumbents

• National Institute on Aging (NIH/NIA): US federal agency funding and coordinating Alzheimer's and aging research globally. NIA is a listed KDRC partner and the most established incumbent funder that sets benchmarks KDRC's programs are benchmarked against.
• Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative: Global public-private initiative scaling dementia detection, treatment, and care infrastructure worldwide. Broader-scope peer pursuing similar early-detection system deployment that KDRC's AI diagnostic platform targets.

Regional players

• Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI): Korean national brain research institute with formal MOU with KDRC. Domestic peer operating in adjacent neuroscience mandate with overlapping biospecimen and brain research infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtJahw32WjsM9cA28MXqFTA
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments1 record

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Frequently asked questions about Korea Dementia Research Center