HLB Life Care opens research hub to explore therapeutic potential of muscle hormones

HLB Life Care CEO Ahn Chul-woo, third from left, poses with HLB Life Care co-CEO Kim Song-su, left, Gochang Institute of Food Industry President Park Saeng-gi, second from left, and In Soo-il, professor at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, during a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony at HLB Life Care headquarters in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of HLB Life Care

HLB Life Care has established the HLB Myokine Research Institute and formed a consortium with leading Korean specialists in endocrinology and metabolism to study myokines, protein hormones secreted by muscle tissue, the Korean health care and wellness company said Monday.

The company signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding with the Gochang Food Industry Research Institute and the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology at the HLB Group headquarters in southern Seoul, Sunday, agreeing to jointly research materials that enhance myokine secretion and function.

Myokines are protein hormones released during muscle contraction and are believed to help regulate metabolism and vascular function, reduce inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity and influence cognitive function.

HLB Life Care said the research aims to identify myokine-based mechanisms underlying a range of diseases and to develop an integrated health care model spanning diagnosis, management and prevention.

The initiative is led by professor Ahn Chul-woo of Gangnam Severance Hospital's Division of Endocrinology, who also serves as CEO of HLB Life Care.

His team conducted Korea's first three-month intervention-based clinical study to validate the clinical potential of myokines, incorporating muscle biopsy before and after structured exercise and lifestyle interventions to precisely analyze changes.

The consortium plans to identify myokine-based biomarkers that can explain underlying causes of major metabolic conditions including dysglycemia, sarcopenia and metabolic decline. It will then build a blood-based biomarker panel and validate its ability to predict disease risk and monitor disease progression using clinical data.

The ultimate goal is to develop the technology into an integrated health care solution linking diagnosis through prevention.

HLB Life Care said it is also exploring links to its blood glucose management platform, myPicoling, as well as partnerships with insurers and eldercare providers, to offer integrated services combining diagnosis, exercise prescriptions and chronic disease management.

"Myokines are critical biosignaling molecules that can explain the root causes of disease," said Ahn. "Through this institute and consortium, we will establish myokine-based biomarkers and present a new healthcare paradigm spanning diagnosis, management, and prevention."

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.