Stem cell research pioneer Hwang Woo-seok’s ongoing visit to Brazil is drawing keen attention from the local press.

Hundreds of reporters have flocked to a downtown convention center in the country’s southern city of Curitiba to cover his speaking engagement there.

Hwang is expected to hold a press session before giving a speech at an academic conference on clinical genomics in the coastal city.

After holding a phone interview with Hwang, local daily Folha de Sao Paulo reported that his research is highly likely to contribute to eradicating incurable diseases like Parkinson’s and cancer.

Hwang is scheduled to leave for Houston, Texas following the meeting and news conference in Brazil.