Professor Rhee explained the effects of a support material with "Atelocollagen inserted into a porous polymer" on rotator cuff healing.
Professor Sung-Min Rhee (right) of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Kyung Hee University Hospital received the Best Oral Presentation Award at the 'TOSSM & ASSA & KSES Combined Meeting.' / Photo courtesy of Kyung Hee Medical Center.
Professor Sung-Min Rhee of Kyung Hee University Hospital Receives Best Oral Presentation Award at International Conference
Professor Sung-Min Rhee of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Kyung Hee University Hospital was awarded the Best Oral Presentation at the 'TOSSM (Thai Orthopedic Sports Medicine Association) & ASSA (ASEAN Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Association) & KSES (Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society) Combined Meeting' held from the 6th to the 8th of this month at the Royal Cliff Hotel in Pattaya, Thailand, with about 1,000 attendees.
The awarded research focuses on the study titled "Effect of a Support Material with Atelocollagen Inserted into a Porous Polymer Made from Hyaluronic Acid for Rotator Cuff Healing in a Chronic Rabbit Rotator Cuff Tear Model." This research was conducted in collaboration with Professor Jae-Yoon Kim from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University and was selected as a 'First Research Project' by the National Research Foundation of Korea last year.
Even with successful rotator cuff sutures, re-tearing often occurs due to insufficient healing at the suture site. Professor Rhee explained, “When injections are administered to patients undergoing rotator cuff repair, the solution tends to flow away from the target area to unnecessary parts, as it is liquid.” He further added, “Through this study, we developed a support material containing both Atelocollagen and hyaluronic acid, which can stay at the suture site for an extended period and promote healing, representing a significant advancement in the development of additional therapeutic agents.”
In addition to his work at Kyung Hee University Hospital, Professor Rhee is also the CEO of the digital healthcare startup Itphy, which is developing RINGDOC, a service that connects doctors and patients with a single link. This service aims to facilitate smooth sharing of medical information between doctors and patients and improve communication.