This technology is a composition for the prevention and treatment of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) that uses two bicoumarin-based furancarboxylate compounds as active ingredients, which bind to the 3CL protease essential for the replication of the PED virus. It is designed for use not only as a pharmaceutical but also as an animal drug, feed additive, drinking water additive, and natural disinfectant.
Porcine epidemic diarrhea is caused by the coronavirus PEDV, which can lead to a mortality rate of nearly 100% in infected piglets. It has caused massive losses for pig farms, including the death of approximately 8 million pigs in the U.S. alone between 2013 and 2014. Commercially available inactivated and attenuated vaccines have not provided sufficient protection against variant viruses, and no antiviral drugs capable of directly treating the disease had been developed until now.
This technology identifies compounds from a natural compound database that exhibit excellent binding affinity and stability with 3CL protease, a key enzyme for viral protein degradation, thereby inhibiting viral replication. It adapts the protease inhibitor strategy proven effective in treating HIV and Hepatitis C for use in swine diseases. Applicable to animal drugs, feed and drinking water additives for piglets in farrowing houses, and barn disinfectants, it helps reduce piglet mortality during outbreaks of variant PEDV that are difficult to control with vaccines alone, providing a means to block farm-level spread.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for the advancement and commercialization of PRRSV and PEDV antiviral agents.
This technology involves a method and apparatus for producing alcohol by grinding whole germinated grains mixed with bran and stalks, saccharifying the fiber with complex cellulase at 40–50°C for 6–72 hours, saccharifying the starch with amylase at 60–90°C, and then fermenting with yeast. This non-isothermal process uses two different temperatures to utilize both the husk and the grain as raw materials for the alcohol.
While the revision of liquor tax laws and deregulation have increased demand for diverse alcoholic beverages, existing brewing processes primarily saccharify only the starch, causing grain bran and stalks to be filtered out as waste. Consequently, sugars derived from dietary fiber and antioxidant components in the husks are rarely retained in the final product, and it has been difficult to adjust taste, flavor, and color to consumer preferences without changing the raw materials.
This technology involves heat-treating the ground grain with ethanol before the first saccharification to gelatinize it and control the remaining lignin content. Before fermentation, lignin extracted separately from other bran and stalks is added to achieve the desired polyphenol levels. Using a reactor with a membrane that separates the saccharification and fermentation zones allows only sugars to pass through, preventing yeast from mixing with grain residue, while the grain can be finely ground via colloid milling. Applicable to traditional breweries (makgeolli, yakju), grain spirit production, and small-scale facilities using local grains, this process turns discarded husks into sources of functional sugars like xylose and arabinose, while allowing for the design of specific tastes and colors through controlled lignin input.
This technology features triazine derivatives designed to mimic the structure of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen Rv3364c that binds to the host protein SNX9, as well as pharmaceutical and food compositions for preventing or treating sepsis using these derivatives as active ingredients. These compounds bind to SNX9 within macrophages to dampen excessive inflammatory signaling while simultaneously providing antimicrobial activity.
Sepsis is a condition where uncontrolled immune responses to infection lead to organ failure, with a mortality rate approaching 25%. Despite our understanding of its pathogenesis, targeted therapies remain scarce. While peptide-based therapies with high target specificity have been studied as alternatives, they face limitations in clinical development due to low in vivo stability and difficulties in targeted delivery.
Instead of peptides, this technology utilizes small molecules with a triazine backbone identified through virtual screening. By disrupting the binding of SNX9 and p47phox in early endosomes, it inhibits reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and NADPH oxidase activation, while reducing the secretion of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-6. It has demonstrated significantly higher therapeutic efficacy for sepsis compared to the original Rv3364c-derived peptide and also possesses antibacterial effects. Applicable to sepsis and septic shock treatments, therapies for bacterial infections like tuberculosis, and immune-modulating health supplements, this technology enables the development of a new drug pipeline that simultaneously targets excessive inflammation and pathogen clearance with a single small-molecule drug.
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 features a skin-whitening composition containing extracts and solvent fractions of Triglochin maritima, a halophyte native to the tidal flats of the West and South Seas. Intellectual property rights have been secured for three distinct applications: cosmetics, food products, and pharmaceutical compositions for skin pigmentation disorders.
Existing melanin-inhibiting agents have limitations: hydroquinone is restricted due to skin irritation and stability concerns, kojic acid has been linked to thyroid-related side effects, and ascorbic acid is prone to degradation by light and air, resulting in poor formulation stability. With hyperpigmentation rates rising due to climate change and environmental pollution, there is a critical shortage of safe, natural whitening ingredients.
Leveraging the ability of halophytes to accumulate bioactive substances in saline environments, this technology reduces both melanin content and tyrosinase activity, while also suppressing the expression of genes involved in melanin synthesis. It is applicable to functional whitening cosmetics, inner beauty products for pigmentation relief, and the development of tidal flat resources, allowing for the exclusive use of Triglochin maritima—an untapped halophyte—as a proprietary whitening ingredient.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Education for the development of blue carbon biomass-based source materials and the establishment of a marine resource recycling platform.
This technology features an antidepressant composition containing a specific methanol fraction obtained from king trumpet mushroom ethanol extract via column chromatography. Intellectual property rights cover food compositions, pharmaceutical compositions, and a reproducible manufacturing method for this fraction.
Most current antidepressants are synthetic compounds, which have been linked to side effects such as sexual dysfunction and weight gain. While king trumpet mushrooms are widely used in Korea as a food ingredient and traditional material known for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, there has been no prior research on their antidepressant activity, making it difficult to find natural alternatives.
The process involves drying, pulverizing, ethanol extraction, and primary ethanol fractionation, followed by isolating the active fraction using a specific water-to-methanol gradient. This fraction acts on serotonin receptors to inhibit binding with reuptake inhibitors and activate receptor-mediated signaling. Applicable to mental health functional foods, high-value mushroom-based materials, and natural drug development, this process elevates a common edible mushroom into a functional mental health ingredient.
This invention was developed with support from the Rural Development Administration for the verification and mass production of siderophores with anti-cancer properties using transgenic button mushrooms.
This technology utilizes irisin, a hormone protein secreted by muscles, as an active ingredient in a composition that promotes the proliferation and growth of dermal papilla and hair follicle cells to prevent hair loss and stimulate hair growth. Intellectual property rights have been secured for four types of formulations: pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic, and quasi-drug.
While not life-threatening, hair loss is directly linked to appearance and causes significant psychological distress. Existing hair growth treatments have been limited by restricted efficacy or reported side effects. Furthermore, the specific growth factors that regulate hair growth have not been clearly identified, creating a demand for new, safe, and highly effective solutions.
This technology leverages the ability of irisin—consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1—and its functional equivalents to regulate the proliferation and differentiation of dermal papilla and hair follicle cells. It is designed for broad application in topical formulations such as hair tonics, shampoos, and essences. Suitable for scalp care cosmetics, anti-hair loss topicals, and functional hair health foods, it allows for powerful marketing based on its origin as a natural, exercise-induced hormone.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for research on establishing a foundation for cancer cachexia and developing overcoming technologies.
This technology produces clean-label starch by dispersing starch in an aqueous alcohol solution and applying mild heat at a swelling temperature below the gelatinization point. This modifies the physical properties while maintaining the granular structure. It yields starch with improved paste viscosity, gel-forming ability, and storage stability without the use of chemical reagents.
Chemically modified starches, widely used in the food industry, have seen declining use due to consumer demand for additive-free products. Conversely, natural starches are susceptible to heat and mechanical shear, leading to viscosity loss and quality degradation over time. Existing commercial clean-label starches have also been limited, as they only partially replicate the functionality of chemically modified starches, restricting their use in processed foods.
By controlling alcohol concentration, mild heat treatment temperature, and duration, this technology induces amylose leaching without damaging starch granules. With flexible drying options, it enhances stability against agitation, heat, gelation, and freeze-thaw cycles. It can be used as a thickener for sauces and soups, to maintain quality in refrigerated or frozen foods, and as a clean-label ingredient, allowing manufacturers to achieve the performance of modified starch without the need for chemical labeling.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for the development of physically modified starch for clean-label foods.
This technology is a composition for the prevention and treatment of sepsis, featuring a peptide of SEQ ID NO: 1 derived from the Rv2626c protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis as an active ingredient. The scope of the rights includes both the standalone peptide and a fusion peptide form that sequentially links a cell-penetrating peptide with a macrophage-targeting tuftsin sequence.
Sepsis is a severe condition characterized by uncontrolled immune responses to infection, leading to excessive inflammation and bacterial proliferation; however, there has been a lack of targeted therapeutic options. While peptide therapeutics offer high selectivity, they have faced challenges in ensuring systemic stability and delivery to specific tissues, with the lack of target specificity in cell-penetrating peptides remaining a significant hurdle in development.
This technology centers on a Mycobacterium tuberculosis-derived sequence that inhibits both macrophage-induced inflammatory responses and bacterial growth, utilizing various cell-penetrating peptides and tuftsin sequences linked by peptide linkers to enhance target cell delivery. Applicable to sepsis therapeutic pipelines, peptide platforms for severe infection management, and immunomodulatory functional food ingredients, this structure—which integrates both the delivery vehicle and the targeting sequence into a single molecule—directly addresses the delivery challenges in peptide drug development.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Health and Welfare's project for the development of tuberculosis control technology based on an integrated regulatory network of Mycobacterium tuberculosis RD1 target host proteins.
This technology is a composition for preventing and improving valvular calcification, featuring 2,4-dihydroxyacetophenone or its salts as an active ingredient. With rights secured for both pharmaceutical and food compositions, it can be commercialized as either a drug or a health functional food.
Aortic valve stenosis is a major cardiovascular disease with a high incidence in the elderly population. However, due to the lack of identified target substances to effectively prevent valvular calcification, there have been virtually no pharmacological treatment options. The only alternative, valve replacement surgery, is costly and presents challenges regarding procedural risks for elderly patients and long-term durability.
This technology utilizes a small-molecule compound that inhibits the expression of RUNX2, a protein marker for calcification. Its scope covers a broad range of calcification-related diseases, including valvulopathy, heart failure, angina, and aortic valve stenosis, and includes designs for combination therapy with other calcification inhibitors. It can be applied to the development of cardiovascular drug candidates, health functional foods for the elderly, and pre- and post-procedural management products, allowing for the capture of a new product category based on small-molecule agents in a field previously dominated by surgery.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the discovery of biomarkers and therapeutic targets to inhibit intractable aortic valve calcification using multi-omics data-based deep learning.
This technology provides pharmaceutical and food compositions for the prevention and treatment of aortic valve stenosis, utilizing gamma-oryzanol or its salts as an active ingredient. It works by inhibiting the expression of calcification-related protein markers in valvular interstitial cells.
Aortic valve stenosis is a major cardiovascular disease where inflammation and calcification cause the valve to thicken and fail to open properly. Without treatment, the mortality rate reaches 50% within two years of symptom onset. As there are no targeted drugs to prevent valve calcification, artificial valve replacement has been the only option. However, most patients are elderly, making surgery high-risk and costly (approx. 30 million KRW), while also carrying risks of stroke, paravalvular leakage, and durability issues. Previous attempts to repurpose drugs like lipid-lowering agents have failed to prove effective.
This technology inhibits the expression of calcification markers OPN (osteopontin) and RUNX2, preventing valvular interstitial cells from transforming into osteoblast-like cells that deposit calcium. It can be administered at a daily dose of 0.001–10 g, potentially combined with other anti-calcification agents. It offers a non-invasive, oral treatment option for elderly patients, serving as an alternative to surgery, an adjunct therapy before or after valve replacement, or a functional food for cardiovascular health.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the discovery of biomarkers and therapeutic targets to inhibit intractable aortic valve calcification using multi-omics data-based deep learning.
This technology is a method for processing aged rice by immersing rice (paddy, brown, or white) stored for over a year in a gum solution—prepared by dispersing 0.3–0.6% (w/w) of gum relative to the weight of the aged rice—followed by hydrothermal treatment at 50–70°C for 30 minutes to 24 hours without gelatinizing the rice, and then drying. During hydrothermal treatment, water-soluble substances released from the rice bind with the gum to form a complex that coats the rice surface during drying.
While rice consumption has declined due to Westernized diets, leading to stockpiles of government-held rice, long-term storage causes rice to become hard and lose stickiness due to the degradation and recombination of starch, proteins, and lipids, as well as the formation of fatty acid-amylose complexes and disulfide bonds in sulfur-containing amino acids. The oxidation of free fatty acids also produces off-odors like hexanal, causing it to be shunned in the domestic market, which prefers sticky, soft rice. Existing grain improvement methods, such as high-pressure treatment or chemical modification, have seen little research regarding aged rice or raise concerns about chemical byproducts.
This technology utilizes one or more food-grade gums, such as guar gum, xanthan gum, carrageenan, pectin, or chitosan, with the aged rice immersed in the gum solution at a ratio of 1–60% (w/w). Drying can be performed via natural, hot air, freeze, vacuum, or hydrothermal methods. Specifically, hydrothermal drying at 45–70°C and 30–80% relative humidity for 1–24 hours stabilizes the surface complex. Since it relies solely on physical processing without chemicals, there are no concerns regarding byproducts. It can be applied to instant rice, HMR products, and rice flour products, revitalizing surplus government-held rice into ingredients with texture and aroma comparable to new rice, thereby boosting consumption.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for the development of physically modified starch for clean-label foods.
This technology provides a composition for preventing and treating sarcopenia and muscle atrophy, and promoting muscle growth, using apigenin-7-glucuronide—a flavonoid glycoside isolated from Ajuga multiflora—or its salts as a single active ingredient. It is formulated for use in pharmaceuticals, health functional foods, and animal feed, utilizing a single compound with a defined structure rather than a crude extract.
Muscle atrophy progresses when the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway is inhibited, leading to reduced muscle protein synthesis and increased degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Causes include aging, physical inactivity, cachexia, and chronic disease, which result in muscle weakness, falls, and increased metabolic disease risk. While the potential of natural products to inhibit muscle atrophy has been reported, the specific effects of individual compounds from Ajuga multiflora on skeletal muscle cell differentiation and hypertrophy were previously unknown, hindering their use as standardized ingredients.
This technology leverages the ability of apigenin-7-glucuronide to increase the expression of mTOR, p70S6K, and MHC in myotubes, thereby promoting myotube hypertrophy and the formation of multinucleated myotubes. The compound can be isolated from Ajuga multiflora extracts, synthesized, or purchased commercially, allowing for flexible supply. It can be applied to individual health functional foods for sarcopenia, therapeutic candidates for drug- or nutrition-induced muscle atrophy, and feed additives for maintaining livestock muscle mass. As a single indicator component with quantifiable content, it reduces product quality variance and simplifies the acquisition of regulatory approval data.
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 features a composition for the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases, containing as an active ingredient a compound specified by chemical formulas 2-5, 7, 16, and 19-39, or its pharmaceutically acceptable salt, derived from 2',4'-dihydroxy-6'-methoxy-3',5'-dimethylchalcone (DMC). It consists of a pharmaceutical composition for medical use and a food composition for prevention and improvement.
Metabolic diseases often present as a combination of insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia alongside obesity. Complications such as diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, stroke, and myocardial infarction are difficult to reverse once they occur. Furthermore, patients have historically lacked a single treatment for these complex symptoms, often requiring separate medications for blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
This technology utilizes DMC derivatives that increase PPARγ and AMPK activity to reduce insulin resistance and enhance fatty acid oxidation in muscles. They also inhibit vascular narrowing by preventing the migration of vascular smooth muscle cells to the intima and blocking the binding of vascular endothelial cells and immune cells. These derivatives also act as Nrf2 activators, providing antioxidant effects. Applicable to combination therapies for obesity and type 2 diabetes, as well as preventive drugs for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis, they allow patients with metabolic syndrome to manage blood glucose, lipids, and vascular complications with a single ingredient.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Health and Welfare's project to build a platform for developing inflammation-targeted therapeutics for metabolic diseases, diabetes, and obesity.
This technology features a composition for preventing and treating skin damage, containing one or more active ingredients from Lactococcus chungangensis—a Gram-positive lactic acid bacterium isolated from kimchi or wastewater treatment plants—including its strains, cultures, heat-killed cells, or fermented products. It is formulated for pharmaceutical use in treating wounds, diabetic ulcers, and scarring, as well as for use in quasi-drugs, cosmetics for wrinkles, loss of elasticity, and pigmentation, and food compositions.
When skin is damaged, the stratum corneum and lipid barrier break down, leading to a sharp increase in transepidermal water loss, which causes dryness, wrinkles, itching, and bacterial inflammation. Inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 and TNF-α mediate inflammatory diseases such as contact dermatitis and psoriasis. Rapid wound healing requires a swift proliferative phase where fibroblasts migrate and multiply to produce collagen, yet there has been a lack of safe, highly effective new materials for wound healing and skin improvement.
This technology utilizes the CAU 1447 strain (deposit number KCTC 13873BP) and can be formulated as heat-killed cells, eliminating the storage and stability challenges associated with live bacteria. In animal models, this composition prevented pathogenic infection, promoted the secretion of growth factors and chemokines that drive skin regeneration and angiogenesis, and accelerated wound healing by modulating the skin microbiome. It can be applied to diabetic foot ulcer ointments, scar-improvement sprays and patches, and functional cosmetics for wrinkles and pigmentation, offering a dual approach of infection control and tissue regeneration by restoring skin microbial balance.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for the development of probiotic materials to improve stress and type 2 diabetes using microbiome analysis technology.
This technology is a pharmaceutical composition that uses Houttuynia cordata extract as an active ingredient to prevent and treat muscle atrophy caused by the administration of steroids such as dexamethasone. The extract, obtained by cold macerating the leaves, stems, and roots of Houttuynia cordata in water or lower alcohols for an extended period, protects skeletal muscle cells and increases muscle mass.
Sarcopenia progresses with aging and increases the risk of falls and fractures, yet there has been no clear cure; representative hormone therapies have shown limited efficacy and have been linked to side effects. Dietary approaches requiring 25–30 g of high-quality protein per meal are difficult for the average person to maintain, while protein supplements carry risks of side effects from overconsumption and are not an option for elderly individuals or patients with impaired kidney function who cannot follow a high-protein diet.
This technology involves cold macerating a mixture of raw Houttuynia cordata leaves, stems, or roots in lower alcohol at or below room temperature for 48 to 120 hours to minimize damage to heat-sensitive components. The resulting extract inhibits the expression of myostatin, which triggers muscle protein degradation. In C2C12 muscle cells treated with dexamethasone, the extract maintained cell viability above 93% and increased muscle cell count. It can be applied as an adjuvant therapy for patients on long-term steroids, a muscle-health supplement for the elderly that is gentle on the kidneys, and a functional bio-material for muscle protection, preventing muscle loss from steroid side effects without relying on high protein intake.
