De La Salle University has solidified a groundbreaking partnership with South Korea's Inje University, one of the Asian giant's leading schools for medical research, with a memorandum of understanding signed last 19 March.

The partnership with Inje University will be focus particularly on its Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Core Research Center under the school's College of Medicine, aiming to propel medical research initiatives between the two institutions.

Inje University has a distinguished College of Medicine in South Korea, with the CMDC being helmed by Professor Jin Han, whose dedication to fostering international partnerships for medical advancement through research has been instrumental. He underscores how Filipinos have been instrumental in his lab, drawing from over a decade of firsthand experience and track record of mentoring numerous Filipino students who pursued graduate studies in South Korea, particularly with DLSU.

One of Han's proteges is Dr. Jubert Marquez, currently serving as a postdoctoral researcher at CMDC, while also actively engaged in teaching within DLSU's Biology Department. Dr. Marquez is one of two Filipinos who have received the Best Researcher Award under Professor Han, at Inje University, exemplifying the caliber of expertise DLSU seeks to integrate into its academic fabric.

The second Filipino protégé of Han is Dr. Maria Victoria Faith V. Garcia, who received her doctoral degree last February and is an alumna of DLSU, having studied in the institution for her masteral degree in science. Dr. Garcia was also recognized with the Best Thesis award for her doctoral dissertation at Inje University, which underscores the caliber of talent nurtured by DLSU's Biology program during her graduation.

The collaboration between CMDC and DLSU's Biology Department paves the way for the possible research linkage between the laboratory and the Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering and Center for Natural Science and Environmental Research research groups in DLSU. This will facilitate bilateral academic cooperation, particularly in the training and enrollment of Filipino students pursuing postgraduate education in Inje University, aiming to enhance research output and international publications as much as providing an enduring relationship between the two universities and their respective countries.