Korean materials startup LabInCube, founded by Sookmyung Women’s University professor, has secured strategic investment from biodegradable medical materials company MetaBioMed. 

LabInCube, a subsidiary of Sookmyung Women’s University Technology Holdings, was founded in 2021 by Professor Kyungmin Choi of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. The company has been expanding its business by becoming the world’s first to commercialize MOF (Metal-Organic Framework) technology into everyday products.

This partnership is expected to mark an opportunity to expand MOF-based core technology into the medical materials field. MOF, selected as the subject of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, is an innovative porous material that can selectively adsorb or separate specific molecules through fine pores. The technology has attracted worldwide attention for its potential in material innovation based on structural design.

Through this agreement, both companies plan to leverage their respective strengths across the entire process from development to manufacturing, finished products, regulatory approval, and commercialization. The vision is to accelerate achievement in biomaterials and medical device fields through joint research and development.

This partnership signifies LabInCube’s expansion of its MOF-based platform CUBRIX™ application into medical materials. LabInCube has been implementing materials required by the market by precisely designing pore structure, surface characteristics, and loading and release mechanisms based on the CUBRIX™ platform. Based on this technology, the company has achieved commercialization results in air and water treatment solutions and aesthetic solutions.

Notably, the company introduced the ‘PuriTalchwi Purifying M Filter’ installed in LG Electronics’ PuriCare air purifiers. In the beauty and aesthetics field, LabInCube has commercialized four products under the ‘Newire’ and ‘PllaCube‘ brands and exports products to over 30 countries.

“Through this collaboration, we will connect technology development and commercialization with greater momentum to create competitive results in the medical materials field as well,” said Professor Kyungmin Choi.