While AccuGen’s primary customers have traditionally been research institutions such as universities and hospitals, the company plans to expand its customer base to include cosmetics and health functional food companies. Through this strategy, AccuGen aims to return to operating profitability next year and achieve 10 billion won in revenue by 2028.
Development of Third-Generation Lactobacillus-Derived PDRN
AccuGen has developed and commercialized lactic acid bacteria-derived PDRN, known as third-generation PDRN. PDRN consists of DNA fragments that, when administered into the body, selectively act on adenosine A2 receptors to produce anti-inflammatory effects, promote cell proliferation, and facilitate tissue regeneration specifically at damaged sites.
PDRN is widely used in various cosmetic products as a key ingredient due to its anti-aging effects. First-generation PDRN, extracted from salmon testes, is a notable example. Second-generation PDRN is derived from plants.
Kwon Soon-jae, CEO of AccuGen, explained, “AccuGen’s lactic acid bacteria-derived ultra-nano PDRN is produced in a vegan cultivation facility using the Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ACG1-383 strain, a lactic acid bacterium isolated from red pepper leaves,” adding, “It is a next-generation bio-functional material in which PDRN has been isolated and purified to a high degree of purity.”
He added, “Compared to salmon-derived PDRN, lactic acid bacteria-derived PDRN is a low-molecular-weight PDRN, and functional differences related to skin regeneration have been confirmed.” He continued, “The extraction process for lactic acid bacteria-derived PDRN includes lactic acid bacteria postbiotics (metabolic byproducts), and its functional distinctiveness—inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria at specific concentrations—has also been confirmed.”
The company continued, “Based on our clients’ own performance evaluations, we confirmed excellent performance, including a roughly threefold increase in Type 3 collagen regeneration,” and noted, “Lactic acid bacteria-derived PDRN can be applied to various formulation technologies, such as powders, liquids, gels, and ODFs.”
The greatest strength of lactic acid bacteria-derived PDRN is its ability to be mass-produced uniformly compared to conventional PDRN. Lactic acid bacteria-derived PDRN allows for the recycling of various postbiotics generated during the PDRN production process.
CEO Kwon Soon-jae said, “Postbiotics—the various byproducts generated during the PDRN extraction process—are all substances beneficial to the skin,” adding, “They can be applied to finished products in various formulations.”
He also noted, “With a single production run, postbiotics can be utilized across three business areas: health functional foods, cell regeneration, and skin tissue repair.”
Goals Include Returning to Operating Profit Next Year and Achieving 10 Billion Won in Revenue by 2028AccuGen will begin full-scale operations in the second half of this year for its business supplying cosmetic and health functional food ingredients derived from lactic acid bacteria-derived PDRN. AccuGen is currently in discussions with numerous companies in the cosmetics and health functional food sectors regarding the supply of lactic acid bacteria-derived PDRN ingredients.
CEO Kwon said, “AccuGen has already signed supply contracts for lactic acid bacteria-derived PDRN ingredients with several cosmetics and health functional food companies,” adding, “As AccuGen is in supply discussions with numerous companies, the number of supply contracts will continue to expand.”
In addition to the gut and skin, AccuGen is also expanding its microbiome testing services to include oral microbiome testing. Buoyed by its lactic acid bacteria-derived PDRN raw material business, AccuGen expects this year’s revenue to more than double year-over-year to 3.6 billion won.
AccuGen aims to return to operating profitability next year and achieve 100 won in revenue by 2028. The company is also targeting an initial public offering (IPO) in 2030.
CEO Kwon stated, “AccuGen aims to make the leap from a manufacturer of medical device consumables to a global biomaterials company,” adding, “Having secured lactic acid bacteria-derived PDRN as a new growth engine, we will do our utmost to accelerate the achievement of our goals.”
