Life Science & Health (LH)

The Life Science & Health (LH) division at EKC 2026 focuses on advancing our understanding of living systems and their implications for human health in the era of data-driven science. In alignment with the conference theme, “AI-Driven Future of Science and Technology,” this division highlights how artificial intelligence is transforming biological research, enabling deeper insights into complex life processes and disease mechanisms. The LH division emphasizes fundamental and integrative biology across multiple levels—from molecular and cellular systems to organisms and populations. By combining experimental approaches with computational and AI-based methods, researchers are uncovering new dimensions of biological complexity, improving our understanding of development, immunity, ageing, and disease progression. Distinct from engineering- and technology-centered approaches, the LH division centers on biology- and health-oriented research that generates foundational knowledge. It encompasses a wide range of fields, including molecular and cellular biology, systems biology, epidemiology, and population health, providing critical insights that inform future advances in medicine and healthcare. EKC 2026 will offer a platform for collaboration between Korean and European scientists, fostering the exchange of ideas at the intersection of biology, health, and AI. The program will cover diverse topics such as plant and environmental biology, infectious diseases, cancer biology, ageing, and data-driven life science research. Through these efforts, the LH division aims to contribute to a more predictive, integrative, and AI-enabled future of life sciences and global health. [Note] SESSION DETAILS AND PROGRAM ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Programme Committee

DR. JEONG, Hyun-woo (정현우)
Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine
zionjeong@gmail.com
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DR. YANG, Jae-seong (양재성)
Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), Barcelona, Spain
jaeseong.yang@cragenomica.es
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Date / Time 2026-07-31 00:00   --   00:00
Room TBA
Conveners / Chairs
MRS. OH, Youbin

Wageningen Univeristy, Msc

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Synopsis
In alignment with EKC 2026's theme, ‘AI-Driven Future of Science and Technology’, this session explores how AI drives innovation across health, food, and nutrition systems from three distinct perspectives, reflecting the increasingly digitalized environments in which these systems operate. The first perspective examines the scientific and technological foundations of AI-driven innovation. Across life sciences, data-driven approaches are reshaping health risk prediction, nutritional management, and food system monitoring, highlighting how digital transitions are unfolding across academia and industry. The second perspective focuses on human perception and behavioral dynamics. For AI to be meaningfully integrated into human life, it is essential to understand how individuals, professionals, and consumers adopt and respond to AI-mediated technologies. This includes examining decision-making processes, risk perception, and trust in AI systems. The third perspective addresses system-level governance and sustainability. Beyond individual adoption, AI deployment raises critical challenges related to ethical implementation, regulatory frameworks, data governance, and equitable access—particularly in the context of long-term public health. By bridging these three perspectives, the session provides an interdisciplinary platform connecting technological development with life science and societal viewpoints. It welcomes contributions from researchers in health sciences, nutrition, food technology, data science, behavioral research, and policy studies, and aims to identify emerging research frontiers and translational strategies for responsible, human-centered AI in health, food, and nutrition.
Speakers
Date / Time 2026-07-31 00:00   --   00:00
Room TBA
Conveners / Chairs
PROF. LEE, Seung Seo

Associate Professor of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry School of Chemistry, University of Southampton

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Synopsis
Modern biological research increasingly demands integration across traditional disciplinary boundaries, with artificial intelligence emerging as a transformative tool for enhancing experimental workflows and connecting diverse biological scales. This session explores how researchers across biological disciplines are incorporating AI into their work, whether through established computational-experimental pipelines or by exploring how AI might reshape their research approaches. The most pressing challenges in biological sciences from antimicrobial resistance and drug discovery to systems-level understanding of disease mechanisms benefit from combining experimental expertise with computational capabilities. Artificial intelligence and machine learning offer opportunities to analyse complex datasets, predict molecular properties, identify patterns in high-dimensional biological data, guide experimental design, and accelerate hypothesis testing. This session welcomes any researchers who already have mature AI-integrated programs or intend to explore how computational tools might complement their experimental work. The session also invites presentations from the viewpoint of pure experimentalists with respect to AI revolution. We invite contributions from any biological discipline: chemical biology, structural biology, microbiology, genomics, cell biology, pharmacology, systems biology, synthetic biology, or related fields. Presentations may showcase established computational-experimental workflows and discuss strategies for incorporating AI into traditional experimental programs. Furthermore, lessons from initial attempts at AI integration can be shared, or pure experimentalists’ view to AI integration may be discussed. Topics may address antimicrobial resistance, drug discovery, cancer biology, metabolic disorders, host-pathogen interactions, protein engineering, or fundamental biological mechanisms. Join us to explore how biological scientists are incorporating AI into multidisciplinary research, expanding experimental capabilities and the questions we can address.
Speakers
Date / Time 2026-07-31 00:00   --   00:00
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Conveners / Chairs
PROF. HYANGMI (MARIE), Gavart

Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Daegu Haany University, Korea (France)

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Synopsis
Background Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) has historically emphasized a holistic perspective and physiological point of view for diagnosis. In other words, the clinical system understands diseases in terms of various functional problems and imbalances that occur primarily in humans, rather than focusing on attacking isolated diseases or bacteria. The recent increased focus on integrative medicine, personalized patient-centered care, chronic disease management, and green healthcare has allowed for a more objective reassessment of TKM for physiological changes and response to treatment in modern clinical and research settings. These advances laid the groundwork for the review of TKM as a clinically verifiable and evidence-generating medical approach. Purpose This session aims to explore the clinical implementation and empirical validation of TKM within the modern healthcare system: Recently, clinical studies have been evaluating Traditional medicine in cases of chronic pain, inflammatory diseases and metabolic disorders. To examine real-world evidence approaches and pragmatic trial designs suitable for integrative medicine research. Focusing on methodological objectivity and measurable clinical outcomes, this session aims to clarify the methods by which the application of TKM has been systematically evaluated and clinically validated. Significance This topic shows the current state of the traditional literature base and up-to-date empirical data using current research methods and technological advances. In particular, chronic and complex diseases require an integrated, patient-centered approach that goes beyond targeted drug interventions alone. This session will facilitate an interdisciplinary dialogue between clinicians, researchers and public health professionals seeking to develop anthropocentric treatment strategies and improve the physical function of European medical professionals. Ultimately, this discussion proposes new solutions for European medical professionals , as well as the development of rigorous, transparent and clinically appropriate pathways to integrate traditional medicine knowledge into modern evidence-based medicine.
Speakers
Date / Time 2026-07-31 00:00   --   00:00
Room TBA
Conveners / Chairs
DR. JEONG, Hyun-woo

Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Biomedicine

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Synopsis
Aligned with the theme AI-driven Future of Science and Technology, this session will showcase transformative technologies redefining life science and health research. Beyond AI-powered analytics, topics will span spatial and single-cell multiomics, single-molecule imaging and sequencing, cryo-electron microscopy, advanced bioimaging, digital twins, organoids, high-throughput screening, and integrative computational modeling. Emphasis will be placed on how converging platforms generate multi-scale data—from molecules to organisms—and how AI enables their integration into predictive, mechanistic insights. Speakers will highlight breakthroughs that accelerate precision medicine, therapeutic discovery, and real-time health monitoring in an increasingly data-centric biomedical ecosystem.
Speakers
Date / Time 2026-07-31 00:00   --   00:00
Room TBA
Conveners / Chairs
PROF. LIM, Youn-hee

Environmental Epidemiology Group, Section of Environmental Health, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denm

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Synopsis
In line with EKC 2026 "AI-Driven Future of Science and Technology", this session explores how AI-driven data and integrative approaches are transforming health research across the life course. Health outcomes are shaped by complex and dynamic interactions between environmental exposures, biological processes, and clinical and behavioral factors from early life to old age. Understanding these processes requires not only longitudinal perspectives but also the ability to integrate diverse data sources across scales—from environmental and population-level data to clinical and individual-level measurements. Recent advances in geospatial technologies, satellite-based exposure assessment, large-scale health registers, and digital health applications provide a new research foundation for more precise exposure assessment, improved risk prediction, and deeper insights into disease mechanisms. This session will share examples of research on interdisciplinary perspectives spanning environmental epidemiology, clinical research, and digital health. We seek to discuss how integrating environmental, clinical, and AI-driven data can advance our understanding of health trajectories and inform future prevention and precision health strategies.
Speakers
  • DR. LEE, Hyangkyu Lee (Yonsei University) [ 13:30 - 13:45 ]
    Title: Toward precision nursing for cognitive againg: A multimodal platform integrating psychosocial and physiological dimensions
  • DR. YOU, Jungmin (Yonsei University) [ 13:45 - 14:00 ]
    Title: HRV-Based Emotion Prediction AI for Older Adults: A Community-Based Prospective Study
  • DR. JEONG, Cheol-ho (Danmarks Tekniske Universitet) [ 14:00 - 14:15 ]
    Title: Mobile app for tinnitus
  • DR. BAE, Hansol (Nature Preserve ApS) [ 14:20 - 14:40 ]
    Title: Integrating GIS and Satellite Imagery to Map Agricultural Emissions and Mitigate Waterborne Health Risks
  • DR. SO, Rina (University of Copenhagen) [ 14:40 - 15:00 ]
    Title: Integrating individual-level spatiotemporal data to study environmental exposure on Brain Health
Date / Time 2026-07-31 00:00   --   00:00
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