For patients recovering from diabetes mellitus, commonly prescribed medications are sulfone, nateglinide, repaglinide, biguanide alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, and thiazolidinedione (TZD). TZD causes several side effects like cough, phlegm, headache, symptoms of hypoglycemia, etc. Professor Kim Kyong Tai (IBB) has studied molecular neurophysiology and invented a product that can replace TZD as a treatment for those with diabetes.
POSTECH relocated the technology to Novmetaphama, a company listed in the Korea New Exchange (KONEX). Novmetaphama is professional development company that focuses on metabolic diseases including diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer’s disease, and osteoporosis. Through the relocation, Prof. Kim will be going through the process of creating a new medicine to treat diabetes mellitus. He will work with Beyond Research Innovation and the Development for Good Enterprises (BRIDGE) of the Ministry of Education. They will try to increase the value of the technology by reinforcement of patent and export.