Maeil Dairies and GI Biome Collaborate on 'Functional Probiotics' Joint Research

Signed Joint Research and Development Agreement for Functional Probiotics Supporting Immune and Cognitive Function Improvement

Yang Jin-oh, Head of the Central Research Institute at Maeil Dairies, and Yang Bo-gi, CSO of GI Biome, are signing the 'Joint Research and Development Agreement' contract.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Maeil Dairies announced on the 22nd that it has signed a business agreement with GI Biome, a bio-venture company specializing in the microbiome, to jointly research and develop functional probiotics.

Through joint research, the two companies plan to discover and develop functional probiotics that help improve immunity and cognitive function. Additionally, they will establish a multifaceted mutual cooperation system to obtain approval for individual recognition-type health functional food materials and to commercialize them.

Maeil Dairies is a comprehensive food company that has continued for over 50 years with the belief in creating a healthy life for the public. Under its umbrella is the Maeil Innovation Center (MIC), Maeil Dairies' central research institute, which was selected as an ‘Excellent Corporate Research Institute’ by the Ministry of Science and ICT. In particular, in February 2018, Maeil Dairies' central research institute organized the Maeil Sarcopenia Research Institute, the first in the domestic food industry, to promote healthy aging, conducting active academic research and comprehensive studies including human application trials.

GI Biome is a microbiome drug development venture company founded by Yang Bo-gi, CSO, an intestinal immunity expert from Osaka University’s Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC); Seo Ju-young, President, who graduated from Seoul National University College of Medicine and served as the head of the Infection Education Center at Ewha Womans University Medical Center; and Lee Han-sung, CEO, who graduated from Kyung Hee University College of Korean Medicine and has accumulated nearly 20 years of clinical experience. The company develops treatments for metabolic diseases such as obesity, autoimmune diseases, as well as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral therapies through the discovery of strains with pharmacological efficacy, elucidation of mechanisms, and preclinical efficacy studies utilizing cutting-edge R&D infrastructure.

Yang Jin-oh, head of Maeil Dairies' central research institute, said, “Through this joint research and development agreement, we will make the most of the overall assets such as knowledge, personnel, equipment, and technology that both companies have built and strive to achieve the common goal of realizing a healthy society.” He added, “In particular, we will scientifically prove and commercialize how beneficial specific probiotics are based on scientific evidence and data.”

GI Biome’s CSO Yang Bo-gi stated, “Our company will reveal the in vivo action mechanisms of strains with excellent personnel, the latest experimental equipment, and specialized microbiome research knowledge.” He added, “We also plan to consider additional joint research for microbiome drug development on probiotics verified through joint research.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.