Ildong Bioscience of Ildong Pharmaceutical Group Wins 'Best Poster Award' for Sleep-Improving Probiotics Research

At the International Microbiome Conference IPC 2026

Ildong Bioscience, a subsidiary of Ildong Pharmaceutical Group specializing in health functional foods, announced on July 6 that it received the 'Best Poster Award' at the international academic conference 'IPC 2026' in the field of microbiome research for its presentation on sleep quality improvement probiotics.

'IPC (International Scientific Conference on Probiotics, Prebiotics, Gut Microbiota and Health)' is an international conference that shares the latest research achievements and industrial knowledge in probiotics and related fields, focusing on the relationship between the microbiome and human health. This year's event took place from June 22 to 24 in Krakow, Poland.

The front view of Ildong Bioscience headquarters in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Ildong Bioscience

At the conference, Ildong Bioscience attracted attention by presenting, in poster format, the results of a human trial evaluating the sleep quality improvement function and safety of its proprietary probiotic strain 'Bacillus coagulans IDCC 1201' (hereafter referred to as IDCC 1201).

The human trial was conducted in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled manner to assess the effect of a four-week intake of IDCC 1201 on objective sleep indices and subjective sleep quality in adults experiencing sleep disturbances.

According to the research, measurements of physiological changes before and after IDCC 1201 intake using polysomnography (PSG) showed that sleep efficiency per night increased by more than 13 percent, and total sleep time also increased by approximately 50 minutes, confirming that the proportion of actual sleep during time in bed improved significantly.

Furthermore, the time awake after sleep onset (WASO) and total wake time during sleep both decreased significantly in the IDCC 1201 group, demonstrating improved sleep continuity with more stable maintenance of the sleep state.

In terms of subjective sleep indices, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate factors such as total sleep time, time to fall asleep, sleep quality, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction. Results showed that the group taking IDCC 1201 experienced significant improvements compared to the control group.

An official from Ildong Bioscience stated, "Through this award at the academic conference, our R&D capabilities and raw material competitiveness in the field of intestinal microorganisms, including probiotics, have been recognized on the global stage. We plan to accelerate follow-up research and commercialization efforts related to IDCC 1201."

Ildong Bioscience, established in 2016, is a health functional food company based on lactic acid bacteria and probiotics. The company possesses a database of more than 5,000 strains, numerous patents, and proprietary technologies, providing it with a strong competitive edge.

Based on its proprietary technology, Ildong Bioscience has developed and introduced a variety of probiotics and postbiotics related to gut health, skin immunity, cholesterol, body fat, and sleep. Leveraging the industry's top-tier manufacturing infrastructure, the company is actively involved in functional ingredient and product development, contract development and manufacturing (CDMO), and raw material supply businesses.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.