Matt Runyon, Amway's global head of microbiome and probiotics research and development (R&D), whom we met on the 3rd at Amway Korea's headquarters in Samseong-dong, Seoul, said, "Korea is a strategic test bed that verifies Amway's global innovation first."
As gut health draws attention as a key factor that affects not only digestion but also immunity, metabolism, skin, and even overall health and disease, research on the microbiome, the ecosystem of intestinal microbes, is rapidly evolving.
Global healthcare corporations Amway is expanding its personalized healthcare business and using Korea as the first stage to validate new technologies worldwide.
Founded in the United States in 1959, Amway grew centered on the health supplement brand "Nutrilite." More recently, it has expanded beyond simply selling supplements into a personalized healthcare corporations leveraging the microbiome and artificial intelligence (AI).
After completing his master's and doctoral studies in chemistry at the University of Chicago, Runyon joined Amway in 2011. For about 16 years, he led microbiome research, including the gut and skin, and now oversees research and development in personalized microbiome, wellness, and nutrition and beauty, along with global healthcare strategy.
◇"U.S. and China lead in research, but Korea has the highest consumer understanding and acceptance"
Amway chose Korea as its global test bed because of consumers' high level of understanding and acceptance.
In 2022, Amway launched the personalized gut health management service "my LAB (my LAB)" in Korea first in the world. Co-developed with domestic biotech HEM Pharma, the service analyzes intestinal microbes and metabolites to recommend probiotics suited to the individual. Since launch, it has collected data from more than 110,000 cases, and Amway considers it one of the world's largest personalized microbiome databases. In May, the service expanded to Japan.
In January, it also unveiled the AI-based healthy life expectancy platform "myWellness LAB (myWellness LAB)" in Korea first. In September, it plans to unveil a new gut health solution in Korea first in the world.
Runyon said, "Market research showed that Korean consumers understood the concept that 'gut health is central to overall health' far better than those in other countries," and "they showed high acceptance of new personalized services, to the point that they had little resistance even to programs requiring stool tests."
Based on these market characteristics, Amway has worked with Amway Korea since 2020 to launch new technologies and services in Korea first, then build up consumer responses and data.
The Obama administration in the United States was the catalyst for full-fledged microbiome research. In the 2010s, the U.S. government selected intestinal microbe research as a national strategic task and pushed large-scale R&D. This rapidly advanced analytical equipment and research platforms and accelerated global microbiome research. Amway also strengthened its research capabilities during this period and expanded into personalized healthcare.
Runyon assessed, "In terms of the general public's understanding of the microbiome and the role of gut health, Korea is far ahead of the United States."
This assessment aligns with the view of domestic experts. Oh Se-jong, president of the Korea Probiotics and Microbiome Society (Chonnam National University professor), said, "During the Obama administration, the United States pursued the 'Microbiome Initiative' as national strategic research, which rapidly advanced related equipment and analytical technologies," and "Korea was a latecomer, but based on its diverse fermented food culture and experience in intestinal microbe research, it has now secured world-class technological prowess."
He added, "The microbiome market is rapidly expanding beyond supplements into pharmaceuticals," and "the United States and Europe still lead in new drug development, but Korea will be able to narrow much of the technology gap soon."
◇"Research focus in gut health shifts from 'intestinal microbes' to the 'barrier'"
Recent microbiome research has evolved beyond analyzing the types of intestinal microbes to clarifying the mechanisms by which they affect health. In particular, the role of the "barrier" that protects the gut, skin, and oral cavity has emerged as a new research theme.
The gut barrier is the body's shield that absorbs nutrients we ingest while blocking harmful substances such as bacteria and toxins from entering the body. Studies have continued to show that when barrier function weakens and permeability increases—a state known as "leaky gut (Leaky Gut)"—substances that should not enter the bloodstream can flow into the body and affect overall health.
Runyon explained, "Recent studies have progressed beyond simply confirming that the microbiome is related to health to clarifying the actual mechanisms by which it affects health and disease."
In particular, he pointed to butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid produced by intestinal microbes, as a key substance. Butyrate is known as a major energy source for epithelial cells that make up the gut barrier and plays an important role in maintaining barrier function.
Runyon said, "In a recently released study, we confirmed that butyrate production increased significantly when probiotics were taken together with the 'Begin' formula scheduled for release in September," adding, "This suggests potential benefits not only for gut health but also for strengthening barrier health."
He added, "If probiotics are the seeds, the Begin formula is the soil," and explained, "Just as good soil is needed for seeds to grow healthily, using the two products together allows intestinal microbes to function in the best environment."
◇"Data and AI are the future competitive edge"
Runyon predicted that the competitiveness of the microbiome industry will ultimately be determined by data and AI.
He said, "Microbiome composition varies greatly from person to person and also differs significantly by country and region," adding, "the corporations or countries that secure vast amounts of data and analyze it with AI to draw meaningful conclusions will lead this field."
He added, "Korea is well suited to accumulating high-quality data because consumer participation is high and acceptance of personalized services is strong," and predicted, "if this data is combined with AI, it will be enough to secure leadership in the global microbiome market."
He also predicted that microbiome research will bring major changes to future drug development.
Runyon said, "One reason the same drug works differently for different people may be the microbiome," and "in the future, understanding interactions between the microbiome and medicines will usher in an era of more effective treatments and personalized therapeutic strategies."
He added, "Amway's goal is not to be a fast follower but a leader," and said, "because Korea is a market with high consumer understanding and the ability to accumulate vast amounts of data, it will continue to be the starting point for global innovation."