Hippo T&C CEO Tai-Myoung Chung (right) and University of Nebraska Hospital (UNMC) Chancellor H. Dele Davies signed a business agreement for joint research on digital therapeutics.

| Joint research and localization of digital therapeutics for the treatment of ADHD and depression

The digital therapeutics company Hippo T&C has signed a partnership agreement with the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), marking a significant step towards international expansion. On September 21st (local time), Hippo T&C, led by CEO Tai-Myoung Chung, announced that it had entered into an agreement with UNMC (Chancellor H. Dele Davies) for joint development and marketing of digital therapeutics. The collaboration focuses on localizing Hippo T&C’s ADHD diagnostic treatment AttnKare-D and its depression treatment BlueKare for the U.S. market, along with developing new digital therapeutics for diagnosing and treating mental disorders.

Located in Omaha, Nebraska, UNMC is a large state-funded academic health science center with an annual budget of $1.3 billion. It ranks 6th among 191 U.S. medical schools and has been recognized as the top-producing institution for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. The Department of Psychiatry at UNMC, headed by Dr. Howard Liu, focuses on child and adolescent mental health and is actively involved in research and development of diagnostic and therapeutic methods for mental disorders. Dr. Liu, who visited Korea in June, expressed hope that this agreement would foster active exchange between the two countries.

As part of the agreement, Hippo T&C will have access to space and staff support at the new Crystal Building at UNMC. The Korea-U.S. Digital Therapeutics Joint Research Center (tentative name) will collaborate on AI-based foundational research, local clinical trials, and marketing strategies for digital therapeutics.

Previously, in 2023, Hippo T&C and UNMC conducted a joint clinical trial for an ADHD diagnostic solution, and they are currently co-developing a bipolar disorder treatment as part of a Korean government-funded project. Professor Soonjo Hwang, a key liaison for this collaboration, is leveraging his experience from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to seek U.S. government research funding for digital therapeutics.

CEO Chung expressed his excitement about showcasing four years of development in medical software, emphasizing that digital therapeutics is an emerging field where early market entry and sustained effort are critical. He chose UNMC not for its academic reputation but for its practical capabilities as a partner. Chung also noted that this collaboration would create opportunities for other Korean companies seeking to enter the U.S. market.

Original Source : Electronic Times(https://m.etnews.com/20241023000216, Reporter Hyun-Min Kim)

This article is a translation of a Korean original into English.