Myongji Hospital's Natural Medicine Research Institute said it has signed a business agreement with Cosmax NBT, a health functional food company, to research and develop a natural product-based health functional food.

The hospital aims to supply natural product-based health functional food for people with reduced immunity, memory loss, fatigue, and have difficulty taking care of their health after the Covid-19 pandemic, a hospital official said Tuesday.

The two organizations agreed to screen for specialized functional materials for factors, such as immunity, memory, and fatigue improvement, which are attracting attention in the post-Covid era, and conduct clinical trials, make investments, and actively cooperate in utilizing specialized technologies and networks.

Myongji Hospital will research and discover materials that can strengthen immunity based on various natural medical research data.

Cosmax NBT will be in charge of developing high-functional health food made from natural products through the know-how of its R&D center and cutting-edge automation system.

"The hospital collaborated with Cosmax NBT as part of an open innovation strategy in the biomedical field," Myongji Hospital Chairman Lee Wang-jun said. "Based on Myongji Hospital's clinical know-how and research capabilities, we expect to achieve great results in developing healthy functional foods made from natural products."

Cosmax NBT CEO Yoon Won-il said, "With the collaboration between Myongji Hospital and Cosmax NBT, which has more than 300 partnerships here and abroad, we are confident of creating synergy in developing health functional foods and personalized products."