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NKCL Bio Group held Microbiome R&D Center establishment ceremony

2021.05.10 16:47 조회 213


[The Establishment Ceremony]
On January 22nd, NKCL Bio Group Inc. has commenced Microbiome R&D Center, which will mark a new chapter of immunity and functional medicine. Due to COVID-19, the establishment ceremony was held with minimum number of people attending and broadcasted online.

[What is ‘Microbiome’?]
A human body is full of trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi. They are collectively known as the microbiome. In fact, there are more bacterial cells in our body than human cells. There are roughly 40 trillion bacterial cells in our body and only 30 trillion human cells. That means we are more bacteria than human.

The gut microbiome refers to all of the microbes in the intestines, which is crucial for our health and our immune system. When pathogens such as viruses and germs break in, beneficial intestinal bacteria establish the defense system in order to create Peyer’s Patch on the mucous membrane which creates a natural vaccine to facilitate our immune system. In fact, 70% of all immune cells in our body are concentrated in the intestines. Our health depends on the status of our intestines.

[Microbiome Global Market Size]
The global market size of microbiome has surpassed 90 trillion-dollar in 2019, and is growing rapidly at an average annual rate of 7.6%. In respond to this paradigm shift, Korean government has prioritized strategic plans to enhance its market competitiveness in Microbiome field. Among the five promising industrial fields selected by the Korean government, Microbiome industry was ranked first due to its growing size and global interests. Microbiome plays a core part in ‘functional medicine’ which focuses on the “root causes” of diseases.


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[NKCL Microbiome R&D Center]
NKCL Microbiome R&D center will be managed and led by Dr. Yoon Bok Geun, who is acknowledged to be the highest authority on the subject. His team will work on various projects such as finding new species of beneficial bacteria, metabolites study, developing microbiome products and merchandising.

Chairman of NKCL Bio Group, Shin Dong Hwa said, “This joint development with Dr Yoon’s team has put NKCL forward by 10 years. The findings of his team’s decade-long research will facilitate NKCL to plan a successful path. NKCL got a head start in the industry compared to other R&D centers in the field. Under the company vision to provide ‘Personalized Immune Care Platform’, Microbiome will be closely linked to NK Cell technology and promote synergy in improving overall immune system.”

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[Future plan: Gut Microbiome Inspection Center]
The establishment ceremony was followed by a special lecture from Dr. Yoon. Dr. Yoon has introduced core concepts of microbiome and announced the future plan for microbiome research center. 

Microbiome research center will also commence Gut Bacteria Inspection project. People can enhance immunity and metabolism through a detailed tests and analysis of microorganisms in their intestines. To manage this project, Researcher Yoon Seulgi and Yoon Juseong from Johns Hopkins University are recruited. They will bring an advanced systematical approach from US in the inspection. 

Also, NKCL’s Microbiome Research Center plans to expand its project to FMT (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation). The microbiome of healthy donor will be stored and used for implanting in a less healthy person’s body to boost immunity and grow resilience to diseases. 

With this establishment of Microbiome R&D center, NKCL Bio Group has opened a new chapter in Functional Medicine and Immunity field in the market. Through this crucial technology to enhance people’s health, NKCL is expected to lead bio-industry.