Donga Pharmaceutical and Jeonbuk National University collaborate to develop pharmaceutical and medicinal materials using LED plant factories. [Photo by Donga Pharmaceutical]
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwanju] Dong-A Pharmaceutical announced on the 8th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Jeonbuk National University to develop advanced food and pharmaceutical material industrialization technology based on LED smart farms.
According to this agreement, Dong-A Pharmaceutical will receive technology for 'anti-inflammatory and lung damage improvement substances using halophytes' from Jeonbuk National University and will begin research and development for product commercialization.
Halophytes are plants that grow in saline soils such as coastal areas. They have long been regarded as mere weeds by the seaside, but with research results showing anti-inflammatory effects and lung damage improvement functions, they are being developed in various fields such as functional foods and pharmaceutical materials.
Jeonbuk National University plans to cultivate halophytes at the LED Agricultural Life Convergence Technology Research Center and supply them to Dong-A Pharmaceutical along with the technology transfer. Cultivating halophytes in an LED plant factory allows for the domestic conversion of overseas materials and has the advantage of continuously securing materials with homogeneous component content while minimizing the risk of contamination by harmful substances such as heavy metals or microplastics.
A Dong-A Pharmaceutical official said, "Dong-A Pharmaceutical's product research and development capabilities and marketing experience have met Jeonbuk National University's LED plant factory and cultivation technology," adding, "Based on this, we will pursue joint research and commercialization in various fields such as disease treatment, health function improvement, and skincare."
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