This technology utilizes a C-terminal peptide consisting of amino acids 195–288 of the Toxoplasma gondii secretory protein GRA9, or the gene encoding it, as an active ingredient. It is designed for pharmaceutical and health functional food compositions to prevent and treat Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, atherosclerosis, and sepsis. This peptide blocks the NLRP3 inflammasome, the trigger for excessive inflammatory responses in macrophages.
The NLRP3 inflammasome is linked to various degenerative and chronic inflammatory diseases by maturing IL-1β and IL-18 and inducing pyroptosis, an inflammatory form of cell death. Furthermore, the hyperinflammatory response in early-stage sepsis has been a primary cause of high mortality. However, while Toxoplasma gondii GRA9 had been proposed as a vaccine candidate, its role in modulating the host immune system—specifically its relationship with the NLRP3 inflammasome—remained largely unknown.
This technology identifies that the glutamine at position 200 of the GRA9 C-terminus is essential for its function. The peptide directly binds to NLRP3 in macrophage mitochondria to inhibit inflammasome formation while promoting M2 macrophage polarization and phagocytosis, providing both anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. Applicable to peptide-based sepsis treatments, therapies for NLRP3-related neurodegenerative diseases, and inflammatory bowel disease supplements, it leverages a protein fragment evolved by the parasite to evade host immunity, achieving the dual effect of suppressing inflammation while enhancing bacterial clearance.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Education for the analysis of host immune modulation mechanisms based on Toxoplasma gondii antigens and their therapeutic applications.
This technology is a combined removal method that first treats biofilms formed by Vibrio parahaemolyticus on seafood surfaces with mildly acidic electrolyzed water (20–40 ppm free chlorine) for 10–20 minutes, followed by physical treatment with UV-C irradiation at an intensity of 30–90 mW·s/cm². Combining these two processes sequentially significantly reduces biofilms compared to using either method alone.
Microorganisms within biofilms are over 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics than those in a planktonic state, making them difficult to eliminate. It is known that 60–80% of bacterial infections from consuming contaminated seafood originate from biofilms. Vibrio parahaemolyticus forms strong biofilms on shrimp, oysters, crabs, mussels, and surfaces like glass and stainless steel, accounting for 9–16% of food poisoning cases in Korea. Existing physical and chemical methods are mostly used individually and focus on inhibiting bacterial growth rather than removing the biofilm itself.
This technology is designed to weaken the outer membrane of the biofilm with mildly acidic electrolyzed water (pH 5.0–6.0) before UV-C inactivates the bacteria inside. It achieves higher reduction rates than sodium hypochlorite despite using electrolyzed water with a lower chlorine concentration. It can be applied to the sanitary treatment of raw seafood like oysters and shrimp, cleaning processes for workbenches and conveyors in processing plants, and surface disinfection in live fish and shellfish distribution facilities. It offers an economical way to reduce the risk of Vibrio food poisoning in raw seafood using low-concentration electrolyzed water, which minimizes residual chlorine, and easily implementable UV-C equipment.
This invention was developed with research support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for identifying the causes of pathogenic bacterial biofilm formation in the food industry and developing efficient control technologies that combine physical, chemical, and biological techniques.
This technology is an antifungal and aflatoxin-inhibiting composition that combines strobilurin fungicides, such as azoxystrobin or pyraclostrobin, with flavone-based flavonoids, such as baicalein or nobiletin, in a weight ratio of 3–4 to 6–7. The two components act synergistically to inhibit plant pathogenic fungi such as Aspergillus, Alternaria, and Colletotrichum.
Strobilurin-based agents are widely used, accounting for over 20% of global fungicide sales. However, because they act on a single site by blocking mitochondrial electron transport, resistant strains emerged rapidly in crops like wheat and grapes. Since their efficacy drops after symptoms appear and spray drift can cause leaf browning in nearby apple varieties, alternatives to reduce application frequency and dosage are required.
This technology leverages the ability of natural flavone compounds to boost the antifungal and aflatoxin-inhibiting activity of strobilurins, allowing for the same level of control with less synthetic fungicide. It also inhibits toxin production by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Applicable to mold toxin control in grains like peanuts and corn, crop protection for apple and pepper anthracnose and leaf spot, and feed additives to reduce mycotoxins, it lowers the risk of resistant strains and spray drift while ensuring aflatoxin safety in crops and feed.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the discovery and validation of toxicity biomarkers in traditional natural products.
This technology utilizes Humulus japonicus extract as an active ingredient in pharmaceutical and health functional food compositions for preventing and treating diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) characterized by excessive bowel movement, gastric emptying, colonic water permeability, and colonic smooth muscle contraction. The extract restores hypersensitive intestinal motility and water transport to normal levels.
IBS is common, affecting 28% of patients with digestive symptoms, yet it lacks a clear cause, making it difficult to diagnose with a single test and leaving no effective standalone treatment. Management has relied on symptom-specific drugs, such as synthetic opioids to slow transit or antispasmodics for pain, while serotonin agonists are limited by complications. There is a critical need for safe, low-side-effect treatments.
This technology, obtained by extracting Humulus japonicus with water, C1-C4 alcohols, or their mixtures, inhibits colonic smooth muscle hypercontraction induced by neurotransmitters like acetylcholine and serotonin or electrical stimulation. It has been shown to improve symptoms in stress-induced IBS models. Applicable to stress-relief supplements, gut health drinks, and natural anti-diarrheal aids, this common vine extract reduces reliance on synthetic drugs by simultaneously calming intestinal hypercontraction and water leakage.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for research on peristaltic changes and molecular protective mechanisms in intestinal obstruction and irritable bowel syndrome.
This technology involves a pharmaceutical composition for preventing and treating muscle atrophy, a health functional food composition for preventing and improving muscle loss, and a method for producing them, using extracts of Salvia plebeia (a Lamiaceae plant) or its derived compounds, rosmarinic acid and hispidulin, as active ingredients. This extract reduces muscle protein degradation and increases synthesis, preventing the thinning of muscle fibers.
Reduced muscle mass triggers a vicious cycle leading to slower walking speed, weaker grip, falls, fractures, metabolic disorders, and cardiovascular disease. Muscle atrophy occurs not only from aging or lack of exercise but also from cachexia, sepsis, chemotherapy, and excessive exposure to stress hormones. In particular, glucocorticoids inhibit the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, hindering protein synthesis and activating atrophy-related genes like Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 to promote muscle protein degradation, yet safe, natural-based therapeutic materials to block this have been scarce.
This technology is obtained by grinding dried Salvia plebeia, extracting it with a solvent such as water or a lower alcohol (preferably 50% ethanol), then concentrating and freeze-drying it. It is designed to lower mRNA expression of MuRF-1 and Atrogin-1/MAFbx and increase p70S6K phosphorylation in myotube cells. It can be applied to health supplements for geriatric sarcopenia, aids for recovering from disuse atrophy due to long-term hospitalization or casting, and muscle loss management for patients on steroid medication, effectively preventing both qualitative and quantitative muscle loss by protecting muscle fiber thickness and count using extracts from a common wild herb.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the development of methods to identify compound combinations with equivalent efficacy representing the overall activity of natural products.
This technology is a disinfectant composition formulated with 1.0–5.0 mM of benzoyl derivatives, such as β-resorcylic acid, gallic acid, or syringic acid, and 0.1–0.2 mM of medium-chain fatty acids, such as capric, caprylic, or lauric acid. By combining small amounts of these two natural antimicrobial ingredients, the composition enhances their bactericidal power to control foodborne pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a short time.
Benzoyl derivatives are GRAS-recognized preservatives used in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals, but they previously required high concentrations due to weak individual bactericidal activity. Meanwhile, capric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid, has been limited by its high cost compared to other organic acids. Furthermore, existing research was limited to confirming growth inhibition after long-term treatment, and it was particularly difficult to kill Gram-positive bacteria like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which possess thick peptidoglycan layers and drug efflux mechanisms.
This technology combines a carboxyl-based benzoyl compound of Formula 1 with a minimum amount of C8–C12 medium-chain fatty acids to eliminate E. coli O157:H7, Shigella, Salmonella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria, and Staphylococcus aureus. It also includes methods for applying the composition to food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. It can be used for washing fresh produce, sanitizing processing lines, as a natural preservative system for cosmetics, and as a disinfectant for controlling resistant bacteria in medical environments, providing a safe, natural-derived solution that reduces ingredient usage and costs while rapidly eliminating MRSA.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning for research into the ultra-short-time bactericidal efficacy and synergistic mechanisms of next-generation natural complexes as alternatives to triclosan.
This technology is a pharmaceutical composition for the prevention and treatment of triple-negative breast cancer, and a health functional food composition for prevention and improvement, containing indacaterol or its pharmaceutically or nutritionally acceptable salts as an active ingredient. Indacaterol specifically induces apoptosis in triple-negative breast cancer cells while having little effect on normal cells.
Triple-negative breast cancer lacks hormone receptors and HER2, making it ineligible for hormone or HER2-targeted therapies. Standard treatment has relied entirely on conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy, such as taxanes and anthracyclines. With high recurrence rates within 2–3 years post-surgery and chemotherapy, and a tendency to metastasize to the lungs, liver, brain, and bones—resulting in a 5-year survival rate of under 55% for stage 3 patients—there is an urgent need for new targeted therapeutic strategies.
This technology identifies that the indacaterol compound represented by Formula 1 exhibits selective cytotoxicity against triple-negative breast cancer cells, effectively repurposing an existing drug for anticancer use. It can be applied to the development of treatments for triple-negative breast cancer, combination therapies with existing cytotoxic agents, and as an adjuvant health supplement for high-risk recurrence groups. By utilizing a drug with established safety data, it reduces development time and costs compared to new drugs while providing new options for patients with limited treatment choices.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Health and Welfare for the development of AI-based next-generation anticancer drugs and platform advancement.
This technology utilizes an extract of Ishige okamurae, an edible brown alga found along the coasts of East Asia, obtained via 70% ethanol extraction. It serves as an active ingredient in pharmaceutical compositions, health functional food compositions, and methods for protecting brain cells to prevent, improve, and treat neurodegeneration induced by the organotin toxin trimethyltin. Target conditions include hyperactivity, aggression, cognitive impairment, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease, and Alzheimer's disease.
Neurodegeneration causes various incurable degenerative brain diseases for which there are few fundamental treatments. Trimethyltin, widely used in agriculture and industry, is known to induce hyperactivity and cognitive impairment in the central nervous system through calcium overload, glutamate excitotoxicity, and oxidative stress. While brown algae, including Ishige okamurae, have been reported to possess physiological activities such as anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, their protective effects against neurodegeneration beyond Alzheimer's disease had not been confirmed.
This technology is based on the finding that treating HT22 hippocampal neuronal cells exposed to trimethyltin with Ishige okamurae extract inhibits apoptosis by reducing cleaved caspase-3 and PARP, lowering ERK, p38, and JNK phosphorylation, and increasing the expression of BDNF as well as the antioxidant defense factors HO-1 and Nrf2. Applicable to health functional foods for preventing degenerative brain diseases, brain health management materials for workers exposed to neurotoxic substances, and functional seaweed ingredients for cognitive improvement, this extract from common seaweed can block neuronal death signals and boost neurotrophic factors to protect brain cells.
This technology utilizes Sandalore, a synthetic sandalwood-type fragrance, as an active ingredient in cosmetic compositions, health supplements, and methods for inhibiting cellular senescence in skin cells with autophagy defects. Sandalore binds to the olfactory receptor OR2AT4 expressed in skin cells, triggering intracellular anti-aging signals.
As we age, the efficiency of removing senescent cells decreases, leading to their accumulation in tissues, which causes inflammation and various age-related diseases. When the autophagy pathway is impaired, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress increase, accelerating cellular senescence. However, materials capable of effectively inhibiting cellular senescence by preventing cell cycle arrest or inducing autophagy have not yet been developed.
This technology is designed so that Sandalore activates OR2AT4, inducing changes in intracellular calcium levels and activating the AMPK signaling pathway to promote autophagy. Consequently, it reduces the senescence marker p21 and increases the proliferation marker Ki-67. Applicable to anti-aging functional cosmetics, skin-elasticity-improving inner beauty supplements, and senescent-cell-targeting skin regeneration materials, it transforms a fragrance ingredient already used in perfumes and cleansers into a receptor-targeted anti-aging agent, restoring the proliferative capacity of aged skin cells.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for research on the energy metabolism and cellular senescence regulation functions of ectopic olfactory receptors using food fragrance components.
This technology features a flavonoid composition based on hispidulin and liquiritigenin, supplemented with one or more of baicalein, flavone, or kaempferol, to inhibit both the growth of aflatoxin-producing fungi and the production of the toxin itself. This composition can be widely formulated for use in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, feed additives, and plant disease control agents.
Aflatoxin is a potent liver carcinogen that contaminates food crops like corn and peanuts, causing massive economic losses annually, with climate change further expanding the areas at risk. Current crop protection relies on synthetic fungicides, which carry side effects such as toxicity to humans and animals, environmental pollution, and pathogen resistance. The food industry is under pressure to find natural, label-friendly alternatives.
After screening 36 types of flavonoids, this technology combines compounds that reduce aflatoxin production by over 85% with an IC50 of 10.85–20.09 μg/mL. It suppresses both the growth of Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus, and A. nomius and the expression of genes involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis. Applicable to mycotoxin management in stored grains and nuts, toxin-reducing feed additives, and eco-friendly pre-harvest disease control, it ensures food and feed safety using plant-derived ingredients while reducing reliance on synthetic fungicides.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the discovery and validation of toxicity biomarkers in traditional natural products.
This technology is a composition for the prevention, improvement, and treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, using as an active ingredient a ferment obtained by inoculating and fermenting a Maillard reaction product of whey protein isolate and galactose with lactic acid bacteria. This ferment reduces lipid accumulation and apoptosis-related factors in fatty liver-induced hepatocytes and inhibits the production of reactive oxygen species.
Western-style meat-heavy diets, convenience foods, and aging can lead to an increase in harmful gut bacteria, which raises systemic inflammatory markers and makes individuals susceptible to inflammatory and metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and colitis. While research into functional foods to prevent these conditions through diet has been ongoing, there has been a lack of food ingredients that can simultaneously manage metabolic diseases and inflammation while objectively verifying their effects at the lipid metabolite level.
This technology involves inoculating and fermenting a Maillard reaction product of whey protein and galactose with a Lactobacillus gasseri strain to create a ferment, which is then provided as a food or pharmaceutical composition. When administered to animal models with both diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease, a reduction in lipid metabolites positively correlated with colon disease was observed. Applicable to fatty liver-improving functional dairy products, medical foods for patients with diabetes-associated enteritis, and liver health supplements, this technology transforms whey protein—a dairy byproduct—into a high-value fermented ingredient that simultaneously lowers hepatic lipid accumulation and oxidative stress.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for research into functional improvements of basal intestinal inflammation using fermented glycosylated milk proteins.
This technology utilizes dimethyl itaconate (DITA), an endogenous substance produced within the body, as an active ingredient in pharmaceutical compositions and health functional foods to prevent and treat insulin resistance syndromes such as hyperinsulinemia, type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis. DITA restores impaired insulin responsiveness in muscle cells, normalizing glucose metabolism.
Metformin, used to improve insulin resistance, carries a risk of lactic acidosis, while glitazone-class drugs (PPARγ agonists) have the side effect of stimulating adipocyte differentiation genes, leading to fat accumulation. As most existing drugs are chemically synthesized exogenous substances, there has been a lack of safe and effective treatments for insulin resistance, with concerns even extending to hepatotoxicity at high doses.
This technology confirms the mechanism by which DITA increases AMPK phosphorylation and upregulates FGF21 and PPARδ expression to restore insulin signaling in muscle cells where insulin resistance was induced by palmitic acid. The health functional food can be formulated as powders, granules, tablets, capsules, or beverages. Applicable as a new drug candidate for type 2 diabetes, a health functional food for metabolic syndrome, and an adjuvant therapy for patients with obesity or dyslipidemia, it utilizes a naturally occurring metabolic substance to provide a means of improving insulin sensitivity while reducing the risks of lactic acidosis, fat accumulation, and hepatotoxicity associated with existing synthetic drugs.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for research on the therapeutic effects of the endogenous metabolite kynurenic acid on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease through the amelioration of endoplasmic reticulum stress.
This technology utilizes HAPLN1, a protein known for cartilage binding, as an active ingredient in pharmaceutical compositions for preventing and treating atherosclerosis caused by high-fat diets, as well as in health functional food compositions for prevention and improvement. HAPLN1 slows vascular aging and damage by maintaining the integrity of the vascular wall's elastic fiber layer and vascular smooth muscle cells.
Vascular disease is the second leading cause of death in Korea and the first worldwide. Vascular aging, characterized by the thickening of vessel walls and loss of elasticity, has been identified as a key cause of atherosclerosis and hypertension. However, no drugs currently exist to prevent or reverse the thickening of the vascular media or the loss of elasticity. Previous research on HAPLN1 has only reported its role as a biomarker or its potential to cause disease, never as a therapeutic agent for vascular disease.
This technology leverages the ability of HAPLN1 to inhibit damage to the elastin fiber layer and the loss of transgelin, a marker of healthy smooth muscle cells. It also blocks the phosphorylation of NF-κB and FAK in vascular smooth muscle cells, preventing them from transitioning into a proliferative state that exacerbates lesions. This allows for a preventive approach that slows progression during the vascular aging stage rather than just treating symptoms after they appear. It can be applied to protein therapeutics for atherosclerosis, health functional foods for those with high-fat diets, and anti-aging materials for vascular health, enabling the capture of the untapped market for vascular elasticity-restoring drugs.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for research on the mechanisms and commercialization of HAPLN1, a novel protein for improving skin aging.
This technology features mito-TIPTP, a novel compound designed to target mitochondria, along with pharmaceutical compositions for preventing and treating inflammatory and necrotic diseases, and food compositions for improving mitochondrial function. The compound inhibits the binding of Rubicon and p22phox on the outer mitochondrial membrane, thereby reducing mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production.
Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondria damage proteins and DNA, contributing to chronic conditions such as sepsis, inflammatory bowel disease, and aging-related disorders; elevated levels are particularly observed in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. However, existing anti-inflammatories, immunosuppressants, and biologics struggle to provide fundamental cures, with many patients failing to respond or losing efficacy over time. Furthermore, previous candidates targeting only cytosolic ROS were limited by their inability to directly regulate mitochondrial ROS.
By adding a mitochondria-targeting function to a peptide-mimetic compound that blocks the Rubicon-p22phox interaction, this technology effectively suppresses mitochondrial ROS even at low concentrations, restores mitochondrial metabolic function, and reduces reliance on cytosolic glycolysis. Potential indications include ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, sepsis, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This enables the development of products with a novel mechanism of action—mitochondria-targeted therapy—aimed at chronic inflammation patients who do not respond to existing treatments, applicable to IBD drugs, sepsis and acute lung injury therapies, and health supplements for fatigue recovery.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT's Laboratory for Immune Control of NLRP3 Inflammatory Diseases based on Nano-AI Convergence Technology.
This technology involves a beer brewing method and apparatus that grinds germinated grains mixed with bran and stalks, creates a mash using complex cellulase at 40–50°C, performs secondary saccharification with amylase at 60–90°C to obtain wort, and then ferments it with yeast. It sequentially saccharifies the fiber of the malt husks and the starch of the grain kernels in two temperature-controlled stages, incorporating both into a single wort.
The domestic beer market has been dominated by light lagers from large corporations, but the shift to volume-based taxation and the legalization of contract manufacturing have raised expectations for craft beer diversity. However, conventional mashing and filtration processes only saccharify malt starch and discard the husks as waste, failing to capture the functional sugars and polyphenols found in malt husks and making it difficult to create distinct flavors.
This technology reduces the need for external enzymes by flushing ground grains with 60°C water before primary saccharification to extract the grain's own amylase for use in the second stage. It also controls residual lignin levels through extraction time and temperature while gelatinizing the grist via ethanol-assisted heat treatment. Both saccharification stages can be performed sequentially in a single reactor, making it easy to integrate into existing brewery equipment. Additionally, separately extracted lignin can be added to the wort before fermentation to boost polyphenol content. Applicable to craft brewpubs, functional/low-sugar beer developers, and malt beverage production lines, this allows for the launch of high-value products featuring functional sugars and antioxidants derived from malt husks in a market saturated with lagers.
