Hancom Carelink, a company specializing in genomic analysis and digital healthcare, said on Tuesday that it has been selected by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) to conduct a project that evaluates the health effects of air pollution.

Engaging in the project, the company will compare the present-day DNA of participants in the Korean Genome Epidemiology Survey (KoGES) with samples from two decades ago to produce epigenomic data and establish a foundation for analyzing aging and related diseases. 

DNA methylation, a representative mechanism of epigenetics, refers to changes in genomic DNA due to aging and environmental influences, even though the DNA sequence remains the same. DNA methylation has been analyzed in various ways using blood to study the effects of aging around the world but could not be conducted in Korea as the unique genetic characteristics of Koreans were not included. 

Consequently, Hancom Carelink will focus on creating epigenomic information to assess the health impact of air pollution. The company plans to use its platform to provide basic data to analyze the impact of environmental factors on aging and contribute to the revitalization of related research, including the discovery of novel contributing factors. 

"This project has once again recognized Hancom CareLink's technology and expertise in producing DNA methylation data," said Hancom CareLink CEO Cheon Chang-ki. "We will contribute to the research of the KDCA by successfully executing the project based on our accumulated genome analysis capabilities and actively participating in various national projects promoted by the government.  

In April, Hancom CareLink was awarded the project to establish a research foundation for regulating the expression of disease genes related to hypertension in Koreans by the KDCA and has already produced more than 17,000 genomic data using its Korean chip V2.0.