On Tuesday, HLB Life Care announced the signing of a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Gochang Food Industry Research Institute and the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST). The agreement, signed at HLB Group’s headquarters in Seoul’s Gangnam District, aims to jointly research materials to enhance myokine secretion and function.
Myokines, protein hormones released during muscle contraction, play a key role in regulating systemic metabolism and vascular function. These molecules are known to suppress inflammation, improve insulin resistance, and influence cognitive function.
The research will be led by Dr. Ahn Cheol Woo, CEO of HLB Life Care and an endocrinology professor at Gangnam Severance Hospital. Dr. Ahn brings extensive experience in diabetes and metabolic disease research to the project.
Prior to this collaboration, Dr. Ahn’s team conducted South Korea’s first three-month, intervention-based clinical study. The research aimed to validate the clinical potential of myokines and demonstrated their effectiveness through real-world clinical data.
The study used muscle biopsies to conduct a detailed analysis of changes before and after systematic exercise and lifestyle interventions.
Looking beyond short-term collaboration, the consortium aims to establish a comprehensive research and commercialization system. This approach will span the full cycle from basic research to clinical validation and market implementation.
HLB Life Care plans to use these research findings to expand into functional foods and therapeutics. The company is exploring strategies to develop a continuum from functional ingredients to individually recognized products, potentially leading to new drug development. This plan will be carried out through collaborations within the group’s pharmaceutical and biotech network.
Future initiatives include integrating diabetes and sarcopenia prediction models with MyPicoring, a blood sugar management healthcare platform, and insurance providers. The company is also developing a model for senior living communities that incorporates myokine biomarker-based diagnostics, personalized exercise programs, and comprehensive chronic disease management.
Dr. Ahn said myokines are key biological signaling molecules that may help identify the underlying causes of various diseases. He added that the company aims to identify myokine-based biomarkers and develop a new healthcare approach that connects diagnosis, management, and prevention to advance personalized care.
