TOKYO - Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (Kirin Holdings) and Kao Corporation (Kao) will participate in the 'Wakayama Health Promotion Study' cohort study1 led by Wakayama Medical University and compiled by the Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC), a non-profit organization, from this month.
Kirin Holdings and Kao will jointly conduct research to investigate the relationship between visceral fat and the activity of plasma cytoid dendritic cells2 (pDCs), a key leader of the immune system, among others.
One of the observational research methods used to examine the association between disease factors and disease onset. A group of people involved in a specific disease factor and a group of people not involved in a specific disease factor are created, and the association between factors and disease onset can be examined by calculating the incidence of the target disease in each group.
Immune cells that play an important role as a key leader when bacteria or viruses enter the body. pDC activation activates various immune cells such as NK cells, T cells, and B cells to protect against viral infections.
About Kirin Holdings
Kirin Holdings Company, Limited is an international company that operates in the Food & Beverages domain (Food & Beverages businesses), Pharmaceuticals domain (Pharmaceuticals businesses), and Health Science domain (Health Science business), both in Japan and across the globe.
Kirin Holdings can trace its roots to Japan Brewery which was established in 1885. Japan Brewery became Kirin Brewery in 1907. Since then, the company expanded its business with fermentation and biotechnology as its core technologies, and entered the pharmaceutical business in the 1980s, all of which continue to be global growth centers. In 2007, Kirin Holdings was established as a pure holding company and is currently focusing on boosting its Health Science domain.
Under the Kirin Group Vision 2027 (KV 2027), a long-term management plan launched in 2019, the Kirin Group aims to become A global leader in CSV, creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals. Going forward, the Kirin Group will continue to leverage its strengths to create both social and economic value through its businesses, with the aim of achieving sustainable growth in corporate value.
Creating Shared Value: combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.
About Kao Corporation
Kao creates high-value-added products and services that provide care and enrichment for the life of all people and the planet. Through its portfolio of over 20 leading brands such as Attack, Biore, Goldwell, Jergens, John Frieda, Kanebo, Laurier, Merries, and Molton Brown, Kao is part of the everyday lives of people in Asia, Oceania, North America, and Europe. Combined with its chemical business, which contributes to a wide range of industries, Kao generates about 1,420 billion yen in annual sales. Kao employs about 33,500 people worldwide and has 135 years of history in innovation.
The Kao Group established its ESG strategy, the Kirei Lifestyle Plan, in April 2019. In 2021, Kao launched its Mid-term Plan 2025 (K25), which declares 'protecting future lives' and promoting 'sustainability as the only path' as its vision. The Kao Group will continue to integrate its ESG strategy into its management practices. It will also develop its business, provide better products and services for consumers and society, and work toward its purpose, 'To Realize a Kirei World in Which All Life Lives in Harmony.'
KIRIN HOLDINGS COMPANY, LIMITED 
