Bifido Co., Ltd. Successfully Concludes 'Microbiome Symposium on Treatment of Unresolved Intractable Diseases'

[Symposium On-site Photos]

Bifido Co., Ltd. (CEO Shin Yong-cheol) held a symposium on the 1st at the Korea Science and Technology Center, together with the Korean Society of Food Science and Technology (President Lee Kwang-won), under the theme "Microbiome for the Treatment and Prevention of Unresolved Intractable Diseases."

At this symposium, Bifido Co., Ltd. presented its microbiome material industrialization platform technology (Microbiome Accelerating Platform) and the results of animal experiments and human application trials conducted in collaboration with excellent domestic researchers.

▲ Clinical research results on rheumatoid arthritis treatment (Professor Park Sung-hwan, Catholic University) ▲ Clinical research results on norovirus treatment (Professor Byun Sang-gyun, Yonsei University) ▲ Research results on skin and pulmonary fibrosis (Professor Lee Sang-il, Gyeongsang National University) ▲ Clinical research results on COVID-19 prevention and improvement (Professor Hong Sung-chul, Jeonbuk National University) ▲ Clinical research results on simultaneous administration of immune checkpoint inhibitors and BFD1R (Professor Kim Sung-eun, Sookmyung Women’s University) ▲ Research results on cognitive function improvement (Professor Shin Dong-mi, Seoul National University) were presented and discussed.

In the first session, Dr. Park Myung-soo, head of research at Bifido Co., Ltd., gave an overall introduction to Bifido’s health functional food and new drug pipelines through the Microbiome Accelerating Platform technology.

Professor Park Sung-hwan of Catholic University presented the therapeutic effects of Bifido’s rheumatoid arthritis treatment pipeline (BFD1R) through gut microbiome and immune regulation. Currently, Bifido has completed a CDMO contract for the phase 1 clinical trial of BFD1R and is actively advancing the project. Additionally, Professor Lee Sang-il of Gyeongsang National University presented animal model research results confirming the therapeutic potential of Bifido’s BFD1R in systemic sclerosis, especially in skin and pulmonary fibrosis, through gut microbiome stabilization and macrophage regulation.

Professor Byun Sang-gyun of Yonsei University discovered through cell experiments that the strain HHuMin-U, selected for its excellent norovirus infection inhibitory activity, strongly induces innate immune responses. When HHuMin-U was administered to animal models, changes in the gut microbiome and increased interferon-beta were confirmed.

In the second session, Professor Hong Sung-chul of Jeonbuk National University presented research results on the preventive and therapeutic effects of Bifido’s BGN4 and BORI strains against COVID-19 under the theme "Coronavirus." In a hamster animal model, typical symptoms of COVID-19 such as high fever, hypothermia, weight loss, thrombosis, and inflammation rapidly returned to normal levels upon administration of BGN4 and BORI, and viral detection levels decreased quickly.

Professor Kim Sung-eun of Sookmyung Women’s University announced new findings that simultaneous administration of immune checkpoint inhibitors and BFD1R in a triple-negative breast cancer animal model enhanced therapeutic effects and notably reduced inflammation in various organs, a side effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors.

As the final speaker, Professor Shin Dong-mi of Seoul National University presented research results showing that intake of BGN4 and BORI strains for 12 weeks in elderly individuals aged 65 and over led to a shift toward a healthy gut microbiome, improved cognitive function, reduced stress, and increased BDNF, a biomarker of cognitive function.

A Bifido official stated, “The microbiome materials introduced at this symposium are safe enough to be directly used as food, so various developments of health functional foods using these materials are currently underway, and additional verification for new drug development is also in progress. Through this symposium, it is meaningful to introduce Bifido’s diverse pipelines to excellent domestic and international researchers and commercialization partners to explore joint research and commercialization.”