Development of Innovative Medical Device to Enhance Precision in Cancer Surgery
Professor Kang Min-woong of Chungnam National University’s Department of Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgery has developed a special medical stapler capable of precisely removing cancerous tissue, winning the '2025 IR52 Jang Young-sil Award.'
The award ceremony took place on the 26th at the Samjung Hotel in Seoul.
The 'Novel Asymmetrical Linear Stapler (NALS)' developed by Professor Kang is drawing significant attention in the medical field.
The 'Asymmetrical Stapler' can perform excision, cutting, and suturing simultaneously, greatly enhancing the efficiency of cancer surgeries. It particularly demonstrates outstanding performance in managing the resection margins, which is crucial in cancer operations.
Simultaneous excision, cutting, and suturing
Unlike conventional staplers, this product is specifically designed so that no staples remain in the tissues adjacent to the resection margin.
Thanks to this characteristic, medical professionals can more accurately verify the presence of residual cancer cells, which directly contributes to the precision of the surgery and the improvement of patient prognosis.
Global Recognition of Domestic Medical Device Technology
In 2015, Professor Kang Min-woong founded the medical venture company Meditulip and has been leading the localization of medical staplers.
After officially launching the product last year, the company gained international recognition for its technological prowess, receiving the 'Innovation Award' from the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery based on its excellent clinical outcomes.
Meditulip is currently undergoing the U.S. FDA approval process and is actively pursuing the launch of next-generation products and an initial public offering (IPO). These accomplishments significantly contribute to enhancing the global competitiveness of the domestic medical device industry.
Chungnam National University has signed two patent technology transfer contracts worth a total of 2.2 billion KRW with Meditulip and is actively aiding in the commercialization of this innovative medical device through practical development and promotional support.
Professor Kang stated his aspirations to “create a medical device company that addresses unmet patient treatment needs and commercializes research outcomes to contribute to human health.”
Image source: Provided by Chungnam National University, Moon Woong-jin, Principal Researcher, Kang Min-woong, Research Director, Min Byeong-hoon, Principal Researcher / Meditulip.
