Cosmax Group, a global cosmetics ODM (original development manufacturing) leader, is expanding beyond beauty into the bio and healthcare sectors by partnering with Harvard Medical School to develop novel drug candidates and health supplement ingredients.
Cosmax announced on October 21 that it signed a second joint research agreement on the 13th (local time) with Mass General Brigham (MGB) at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, USA. MGB oversees the affiliated teaching hospitals of Harvard Medical School and boasts vast clinical databases and top-tier research talent. Both entities will conduct a joint research initiative dubbed the ‘VIVA (Vision·Innovation·Vitality·Advancement) Project’ from this year through 2029.
The primary research focus centers on weight and metabolic management. Cosmax and Harvard Medical School researchers plan to identify lactic acid bacteria and functional health supplement ingredients that act similarly to glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a hormone utilized in prominent diabetes and obesity treatments like Wegovy and Mounjaro. The initiative aims to extract weight-management components from microorganisms to create functional raw materials, alongside anti-aging and slow-aging drug candidates.
This collaboration merges Cosmax’s accumulated microbial research capabilities with Harvard’s clinical research infrastructure. Since 2011, Cosmax has secured approximately 3,100 microbial strains, filed 204 related patents, and successfully registered 110 of them. In 2019, the company commercialized microbiome-based cosmetics.
Cosmax also plans to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) technology into the research process, utilizing AI to formulate hypotheses and screen candidate substances to accelerate development speed and improve accuracy.
Previously, the two sides conducted a first-round joint research project from 2024 to 2026. During that period, the research team discovered the mechanism by which specific microbially derived substances alleviate atopic dermatitis symptoms and improve skin barrier function. The findings were published in the international journal ‘Allergy,’ and Cosmax is currently pursuing commercial applications based on these results.
“Through this VIVA project, we will use cosmetics as our starting point to secure technological leadership in the bio and biomedical fields,” stated Lee Kyung-soo, Chairman of Cosmax Group.
