Naju City and Dongshin University Join Hands to Develop Microbiome Well-Aging

Published 24 Dec.2021 10:41(KST)

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Naju City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Kang In-gyu) and Dongshin University (President Choi Il) have joined hands to develop ‘Microbiome Well-Aging’ technology.

The city announced on the 24th that it signed a business agreement with Dongshin University on the 23rd to carry out the ‘Microbiome Well-Aging Technology Development and Healthy Longevity Living Lab’ project aimed at improving the health of local residents and revitalizing the bio-industry.

This technology development project was selected through the 2021 Science and Technology Project Competition for Opening the Future of the Region, hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT, and will invest 11.5 billion KRW over five years until 2025.

Among this, the city will support 3.4 billion KRW of city funds to foster biomedicine and bio-industry and improve the stagnant R&D environment.

The leading research institution, Dongshin University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation (Project Group), plans to develop microbiome-based smart well-aging technology in cooperation with Jeollanam-do, Naju City, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, and Jeonnam Bio Industry Promotion Agency.

‘Microbiome’ refers to various microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses inhabiting the human body. An average 70kg adult carries about 38 trillion microorganisms, which vary throughout the life cycle and are known to affect human diseases and health.

In particular, it can analyze the principles of beneficial and harmful bacteria generation and their correlation with diseases, making it a promising field widely used in new drug development, incurable disease treatment research, cosmetics, and food development.

The Dongshin University project group plans to provide health information services to local residents by developing core technology to measure health age (aging) based on the microbiome.

Through this agreement, Naju City and Dongshin University will work together to establish a ‘Healthy Longevity Living Lab’ where the project group, local residents, and local companies can jointly conduct experiments and technology development to produce scientific and technological achievements that local residents can experience.

The agreement includes cooperation such as administrative support for recruiting subjects and companies for the microbiome project group’s healthy longevity living lab, forming a public-private-academic consultative body, holding resident briefings, and promoting the project to revitalize it.

Mayor Kang In-gyu said, “Through this agreement, we will spare no administrative support to achieve scientific and technological outcomes based on the microbiome for the healthy longevity of local residents,” adding, “We expect this to become a new driving force for the local economy through high value-added creation from revitalizing bio-industry R&D and coexistence with living lab target companies.”