The Korea Bio Association said on the 27th that it has appointed KoBioLabs CEO Ko Kwang-pyo as the new chairman of the Microbiome New Drug Company Council.
The Microbiome New Drug Company Council held its first regular general meeting of the year on the 26th at L Tower in Seocho District, Seoul, discussing relevant budgets and plans.
Microbiome is a combination of microbe, which refers to microorganisms, and biome, which refers to ecosystems, signifying the community of microorganisms living within our bodies. There are more than tens of trillions of microorganisms in the human body, with over 80% residing in the intestines such as the stomach, large intestine, and small intestine. Recently, both domestic and international corporations have been increasingly involved in the development of microbiome-based new drugs.
On this day, Ko Kwang-pyo was appointed as the second chairman following Cheon Jong-sik, CEO of CJ BioScience, who served as the first chairman. CEO Ji Yoseop of HEM Pharma was appointed as the chairperson of the operational committee. The term for these officials is two years.
The new chairman Ko said, "Microbiome therapeutics is an innovative treatment approach that is becoming increasingly important in the healthcare and bio industries, now expanding to cover a broader range of diseases and providing more extensive treatment opportunities," and he noted, "The council will faithfully fulfill its role as a pivotal body of the domestic microbiome industry."
Chairman Ko also noted that he would participate in major global microbiome sector councils, including the International Human Microbiome Consortium (IHMC), and lead international microbiome technology exchanges.
The Microbiome New Drug Company Council, an organization under the Korea Bio Association, officially launched in July 2023 at BioPlus-INTERPHEX KOREA 2023 to actively promote new drug development based on microbiomes. Since then, it has been conducting various activities to foster the microbiome industry, including open innovation with domestic and international industries, building networks, and establishing regulations.
Currently, the council, comprised of 27 member corporations, includes KoBioLabs, HEM Pharma, CJ BioScience, Genome & Company, Chong Kun Dang BiO, and others.