Apgujeong, Seoul · Stem cell R&D company

EHL Bio: Korea's adult stem cell R&D company

6,000 GMP lots a year, four stem cell drugs in development and a cell centre in Apgujeong, Seoul

Founded: 2012
GMP capacity: 6,000 lots/yr
Pipeline drugs: 4

Quick answer

EHL Bio (㈜이에이치엘바이오) is a Korean adult stem cell R&D company founded in 2012, with its head office and research institute in Uiwang, Gyeonggi-do and the EHL Cell Center at 136 Apgujeong-ro in Gangnam, Seoul. It combines its own autologous adipose stem cell isolation and culture technology, two in-house GMP plants producing more than 6,000 lots a year in CLASS 100 clean rooms, and a four-drug pipeline: ADSTEM for atopic dermatitis (Phase 3 IND filed in 2024), KDSTEM for chronic kidney disease (Phase 1 from 2023), RASTEM for rheumatoid arthritis (preparing Phase 1) and PDSTEM for Parkinson's disease (preclinical). It also produces EHL-STEM conditioned media with an internationally registered INCI name, works on NK, T, dendritic and iNKT immune cells and exosomes, and publishes 11 patent filings. It is a manufacturer and developer rather than a walk-in clinic: treatment reaches patients through roughly 100 partner hospitals in Korea and 50 overseas.

Who is EHL Bio, and what is it actually good at?

The five pillars below are the company's own stated strengths from its corporate page, restated here and flagged as company claims rather than independently verified conclusions.

Stable stem cell harvesting, isolation and culture technology

In-house culture know-how backed by its own patents
The company states a stem cell recovery rate about 1,000× higher than competitors
Minimised gap in cell viability before and after cryopreservation
Running what the company calls Korea's first repeated intravenous dosing trial

Its own top-tier GMP facilities

Own autologous stem cell culture, banking and quality-control system
Clean rooms maintained at CLASS 100
Dedicated stem cell storage tanks and banking system
Capacity of more than 6,000 lots a year (about 500 lots a month)

Research and partner-hospital network

Joint research with Korean and overseas universities
Around 100 partner hospitals inside Korea
Around 50 overseas partner hospitals for cross-border treatment

A broad cell-therapy development portfolio

Exosome-based therapeutics
Pharmaceuticals derived from stem cell conditioned media
Immune cells: NK, T, dendritic and iNKT

Deep experience in cosmeceuticals

Products aimed at aesthetic and dermatology clinic patients
Launched cosmetics containing 97% human adipose stem cell conditioned media

What is in the pipeline, and how far has each drug got?

A row of autologous stem cell injection vials on a white laboratory bench

All four are investigational products, not services you can walk in and buy. Status is taken from the company's pipeline and history pages.

ADSTEM inj.

에이디스템주

Moderate-to-severe subacute and chronic atopic dermatitis

Candidate
Preclinical
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3

Cell source: Autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells
Route: Intravenous injection, two repeated doses
Status: Phase 1 complete · Phase 2 finished 2023 · Phase 3 IND filed 2024
Note: Phase 2 ran at Chung-Ang University Hospital and five other centres; the company describes it as Korea's first intravenous autologous adipose stem cell trial.

RASTEM inj.

알에이스템주

Moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis

Candidate
Preclinical
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3

Cell source: Autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells
Route: Intravenous injection, repeated dosing
Status: Preclinical complete, preparing Phase 1
Note: Not an approved treatment available to the public.

PDSTEM inj.

피디스템주

Parkinson's disease

Candidate
Preclinical
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3

Cell source: Autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells
Route: Intravenous injection, repeated dosing
Status: Preclinical stage, in progress
Note: Research stage; no concluded human efficacy data yet.

KDSTEM inj.

케이디스템주

Chronic kidney disease

Candidate
Preclinical
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3

Cell source: Autologous urine-derived mesenchymal stem cells
Route: Intravenous injection, repeated dosing
Status: Phase 1 IND approved and started in 2023 · selected for Korea's multi-ministry regenerative medicine programme in 2022 and 2024
Note: Urine-derived stem cells express Klotho, a protein linked to antioxidant activity, cell-senescence control and angiogenesis.

What can EHL Bio's GMP plants actually do?

A Korean biotech GMP cell culture suite with rows of CO2 incubators and a gowned technician

Capacity: 6,000 lots/yr
Per month: 500 lots
Clean room: CLASS 100
Partner hospitals: 100+ / 50+

2015.10
First GMP centre completed
2016.05
GMP inspection by Korea's MFDS
2017.07
CPC licence from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
2019.04
Second GMP centre completed (about 500 lots a month)
2021
Korea's licence No.1 for human cell management and the country's first cell-processing facility licence

Which disease groups does the company target?

This is the list of disease groups the company names on its Cure pages as research targets. It does not mean an approved product exists for each of them.

Alzheimer's disease (dementia)
Brain and nervous system
Degenerative arthritis
Bone and joint
Diabetes
Endocrine and metabolic
Erectile dysfunction
Reproductive
Liver cirrhosis
Hepatic
Myocardial infarction
Cardiovascular
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Respiratory
Autoimmune disease
Immune
Atopic dermatitis
Dermatological

What does the immune cell side cover?

Microscope view of cultured mesenchymal stem cells fluorescing teal and violet on black

NK cells

Attack virus-infected and tumour cells

Macrophages

Phagocytose bacteria, clear debris and present antigen

iNKT cells

Regulate and reinforce immunity across several conditions

Dendritic cells

Present cancer-specific antigen

B lymphocytes

Produce antibodies

T lymphocytes

Bind histocompatible antigen and attack tumour cells

What is EHL-STEM conditioned media?

Media generated while culturing human adipose stem cells, registered under the INCI name “Human Adipose Stromal Cell Conditioned Media” (application 5-09-2014-2745), with VEGF, FGF, TGF, PDGF, HGF, EGF as its headline growth factors. The figures below come from testing by Dermapro Co., Ltd., January 2016 at cell level, not from a human clinical trial.

Intracellular melanin: down 49%
Tyrosinase activity: down 45%
DOPA oxidation: down 22%
Collagen synthesis: up 9× (3.69 → 33.32 mg/g)
Collagenase activity: down 47%

Patents and published papers

The company publishes 11 patent filings with their application numbers, all traceable in Korea's KIPRIS patent database.

Novel thiazolidinedione derivatives and their use
2012-08-02 · 10-1172638
Inhibits 15-PGDH, which degrades prostaglandin; applicable to cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and kidney disease and to hair-loss prevention
Adipose harvesting and SVF isolation kit
2016-01-20 · 10-2016-0007049
Makes fat harvesting and stem cell isolation a single simplified workflow
Composition of cells treated with a 15-PGDH inhibitor (atopic dermatitis)
2016-10-26 · 10-2016-0139967
Pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating atopic disease
Composition comprising cells treated with 15-PGDH inhibitor (US filing)
2016-10-27 · 15/771853
Overseas filing of the same technology
Composition of cells treated with a 15-PGDH inhibitor (rheumatoid arthritis)
2018-01-04 · 10-2018-0001149
Extends the application to rheumatoid arthritis
Cosmetic composition containing stem cell conditioned media and its production method
2018-03-16 · 10-2018-0030906
Conditioned media from 3D hypoxic culture for wound healing, skin improvement and hair loss
Mass culture method for adipose stem cells expressing FoxO
2018-12-28 · —
Scales up production of cells expressing anti-ageing factors
Medium composition for culturing urine-derived stem cells
2019-11-04 · 10-2019-0139702
Media for isolating and culturing urine-derived stem cells
Mass culture of adipose stem cells expressing anti-ageing factors
2020-02-03 · 10-2020-0012437
Covers Foxo1, Foxo3a and Klotho plus the proliferation medium
Stem cell derived exosome composition for skin regeneration, brightening, antioxidation and wound healing
2021-02-17 · 10-2021-0021026
Exosomes from urine-derived stem cells for cosmetic or pharmaceutical use
Urine-derived stem cells with enhanced kidney-disease activity and the resulting cell therapy composition
2021-09-29 · 10-2021-0129299
The technology feeding the KDSTEM kidney programme

Human adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells alleviate atopic dermatitis via regulation of B lymphocyte maturation
2016-11-19
Human adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells attenuate atopic dermatitis by regulating the expression of MIP2, miR122a-SOCS1 axis and Th1/Th2 responses
2016-11-19

Company timeline, 2012–2024

2024
- KDSTEM selected for the multi-ministry regenerative medicine technology programme
- Phase 3 IND filed for ADSTEM in atopic dermatitis
2023
- KDSTEM Phase 1 IND approved for chronic kidney disease and trial started
- ADSTEM Phase 2 completed
2022
- Advanced regenerative medicine MOUs with Hwasun Chonnam National University, Gangnam Severance and Seoul Saesum hospitals
- EHL Cell Center relocated to Apgujeong
2021
- Licence No.1 for human cell management and Korea's first cell-processing facility licence
2020
- Subsidiary EHL CELLTECH founded
2019
- ADSTEM Phase 2 approved — the company states it is Korea's first autologous adipose IV trial
- Cambodia branch and joint-venture cell therapy hospital opened; Indonesia office established
- Second GMP centre built
2017
- ADSTEM Phase 1 completed · Japanese CPC certification · Vietnam representative office · partnership with Japan's ODA Clinic
2015
- Cell therapy GMP plant completed, research institute expanded, venture company certification
2012
- EHL Bio life science research institute founded

Where is EHL Bio and how do you contact it?

Cell centre (Seoul): EHL Cell Center — 136 Apgujeong-ro, EHL Building, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 06029
Subway: 444 m from Apgujeong Station, exit 5
Phone: +82-2-532-9855
Fax: +82-2-514-8027
HQ & research institute: Indeokwon IT Valley, 40 Imi-ro, Bldg B #411-412, Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi-do
HQ phone: +82-2-535-9883
Overseas network: Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia

Open EHL Cell Center in Maps

Key facts

Company type: Cell therapy R&D and manufacturing (not a clinic)
Founded: 2012
CEO: Lee Hong-ki, MD
Cell centre: EHL Cell Center, Apgujeong, Gangnam, Seoul
GMP capacity: 6,000+ lots a year (CLASS 100)
Pipeline: ADSTEM, RASTEM, PDSTEM, KDSTEM
Published patents: 11 filings
Hospital network: ~100 in Korea, ~50 overseas
Official site: ehlbio.co.kr

When Thai readers search for Korean stem cells, almost everything that surfaces is a clinic selling injections. Behind those clinics sits another layer: the company that actually cultures the cells. EHL Bio operates in that layer. It describes itself as a research institute founded to tackle disease and ageing, focused on isolating, banking and culturing adult stem cells and turning them into cell therapeutics and immune cell products. Understanding that structure matters, because when a clinic says it uses cells from a GMP lab, the useful follow-up is: which lab, what capacity, and licensed under what?

On that question EHL Bio has concrete answers. Its first GMP centre was completed in October 2015 and inspected by Korea's MFDS in 2016; it obtained a CPC licence from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in 2017; and a second GMP centre finished in April 2019, taking combined capacity to about 500 lots a month, or over 6,000 a year. In 2021 the company states it received Korea's licence No.1 for human cell management and the country's first cell-processing facility licence — permits that only exist since Korea's advanced regenerative medicine law took effect.

Technically the core is autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Fat is chosen because it is easy to obtain in volume, cultures stably, and — being the patient's own tissue — carries little immune-rejection risk. The company justifies intravenous delivery on the grounds that blood vessels reach nearly every tissue, so cells can act where a local injection cannot. The more unusual line is urine-derived stem cells, which the company says express Klotho, the protein widely discussed as an anti-ageing factor, and which underpins the KDSTEM kidney programme.

The pipeline is where careful reading matters. All four products remain investigational, not approved treatments. ADSTEM is furthest along: Phase 1 completed in 2017, Phase 2 approved in 2019, Phase 2 finished in 2023 and a Phase 3 IND filed in 2024. KDSTEM received Phase 1 approval and began dosing in 2023, RASTEM has finished preclinical work and is preparing Phase 1, and PDSTEM is still preclinical. So if anyone offers you 'the ADSTEM atopic dermatitis drug' today, ask plainly whether that means enrolment in a clinical trial or something else entirely.

The side of the business Thai readers meet most often without realising it is EHL-STEM conditioned media, registered internationally under the INCI name Human Adipose Stromal Cell Conditioned Media (application 5-09-2014-2745) and used as a premium cosmetic ingredient. The company publishes January 2016 Dermapro testing showing intracellular melanin down 49%, tyrosinase activity down 45% and collagen synthesis up roughly ninefold. Those are in-vitro, cell-level results rather than guaranteed outcomes on a real face — read them as ingredient data, not a results claim.

On immunotherapy the company scopes its work to six cell types — NK, macrophage, iNKT, dendritic, B and T lymphocytes — and explains innate versus acquired immunity alongside them. In 2016–2017 it states that preclinical safety work on immune cells was completed, running in parallel with exosome research protected by a 2021 patent filing. That is why EHL Bio reads as a full-stack cell therapy company rather than a stem-cell-only shop.

The most verifiable evidence is the patent list. The company publishes 11 filings with dates and application numbers, spanning an adipose harvesting and SVF isolation kit (2016), 15-PGDH inhibitor applications in atopic dermatitis and rheumatoid arthritis, culture methods for cells expressing FoxO and Klotho, and exosomes for skin regeneration. Anyone can check these numbers directly in Korea's KIPRIS patent database. There are also 2016 papers on how human adipose-derived MSCs alleviate atopic dermatitis by regulating B lymphocyte maturation.

For Thai readers weighing cell therapy in Korea, this profile carries three lessons. First, separate the cell manufacturer from the clinic delivering treatment: you pay the clinic, but cell quality belongs to the lab. Second, ask in writing which lab cultured the cells, under what licence, how many cells per dose and what quality testing was done. Third, never conflate a drug in clinical trials with a service that can legally be sold — they sit under different rules, and that is where overseas patients are most often misled.

Everything on this page is compiled from every section of EHL Bio's official site: the corporate introduction, history, GMP centre, therapeutic pipeline, patents and papers, conditioned media, immune cells, target diseases and contact pages. The figures and trial statuses are the company's own published information — not an endorsement of treatment outcomes by Khunkim, and not medical advice. Anyone with an existing condition should consult their treating physician first.

Frequently asked questions

What is EHL Bio — a hospital or a company?
It is a Korean cell therapy R&D and manufacturing company founded in 2012 — not a hospital or walk-in clinic. Its research institute and head office are in Uiwang, Gyeonggi-do, with the EHL Cell Center in Apgujeong, Seoul. Patient treatment happens through roughly 100 partner hospitals in Korea and 50 overseas.
Which type of stem cells does EHL Bio use?
Mainly autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells, which underpin ADSTEM, RASTEM and PDSTEM, plus autologous urine-derived MSCs expressing Klotho, which underpin the KDSTEM kidney programme. No embryonic cells are involved.
Is ADSTEM already an approved atopic dermatitis treatment?
No. ADSTEM completed Phase 1 in 2017, was approved for Phase 2 in 2019, finished Phase 2 in 2023 and filed a Phase 3 IND in 2024. If anyone offers treatment with it, ask explicitly whether that means enrolment in an approved clinical trial.
What standards do EHL Bio's GMP plants hold?
Two GMP centres, completed in 2015 and 2019, inspected by Korea's MFDS in 2016, holding a CPC licence from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare since 2017, and — per the company — Korea's licence No.1 for human cell management plus the country's first cell-processing facility licence in 2021. Clean rooms run at CLASS 100.
How is EHL-STEM conditioned media different from stem cells?
Conditioned media is the liquid produced while cells are cultured, not the cells themselves. It carries growth factors such as VEGF, FGF, TGF, PDGF, HGF and EGF, which is why it is used as a cosmetic ingredient under the INCI name Human Adipose Stromal Cell Conditioned Media. It is neither a drug nor a cell transplant.
How can Thai patients access EHL Bio treatment?
Through a partner hospital or clinic, not by buying a package from the company directly. Its overseas network covers Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia. Before committing, ask for documentation naming the culturing lab, its licence, the cell count per dose and the accompanying quality-test results.
Which diseases does EHL Bio target?
Its Cure pages name nine groups: Alzheimer's disease, degenerative arthritis, diabetes, erectile dysfunction, liver cirrhosis, myocardial infarction, COPD, autoimmune disease and atopic dermatitis. These are research targets, not evidence that an approved product exists for each.
Where is the EHL Cell Center and how do I get there?
At the EHL Building, 136 Apgujeong-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 06029 — about 444 m from Apgujeong Station exit 5, phone +82-2-532-9855. The head office and research institute are at Indeokwon IT Valley in Uiwang, Gyeonggi-do.
How do ADSTEM, KDSTEM, RASTEM and PDSTEM differ?
They are four separate cell therapy programmes. ADSTEM uses autologous adipose-derived stem cells for atopic dermatitis; KDSTEM uses autologous urine-derived, Klotho-expressing stem cells for chronic kidney disease; RASTEM targets rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune disease; PDSTEM targets neurodegenerative disease. Each sits at a different trial stage, so none should be assumed approved.
Are autologous adipose stem cells safer than donor cells?
Autologous cells avoid donor-rejection risk, but that does not make the procedure risk-free: liposuction-related infection, laboratory culture quality, the dose and viability of the returned cells and injection-site reactions all remain. Safety depends more on the lab's licence and GMP standard than on the word autologous.
How much does treatment using EHL Bio-manufactured cells cost?
The company does not publish per-course prices because it does not sell directly to patients. What a patient pays is set by each partner hospital and varies with cell count per dose, number of sessions, harvesting fees, long-term cell banking and physician fees. Ask for a written quotation that itemises all of these before paying.
How does cell banking with EHL Bio work?
Typically fat is harvested once, the stem cells are isolated and expanded in a GMP plant, then cryopreserved for later sessions without repeating liposuction. Clarify the storage contract length, annual fees, what happens if the company or clinic closes, and the paperwork confirming cell counts and contamination testing for your stored lot.
What should I ask before agreeing to cell therapy in Korea?
At minimum five: which laboratory cultures the cells and under what licence; whether this is approved treatment or enrolment in a clinical trial; whether cell count and viability per dose are stated numerically; whether sterility and endotoxin results for that lot are attached; and which Korean-licensed doctor performs the injection and handles follow-up. If the answers are marketing claims without documents, delay the decision.

Sources

Pipeline, GMP facilities, patents, conditioned-media testing, locations and timeline are all compiled from EHL Bio's official site and re-checked at each update.

Last updated: 2026-08-25 · This content is for information only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified doctor before making treatment decisions.