News
KIST-Neurobiogen Joint Research Development Agreement (2019.12.30)
- Date : 2020-02-26
- Views : 1679
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Writer
International Cooperation Team
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Att.
KIST-Neurobiogen Joint Research Development Agreement
At the KIST
headquarters on December 30, KIST concluded a technology transfer and joint
research development agreement with NeuroBiogen (CEO: Sung Yeon Hwang) for the
development of treatments for indications brought on by GABA inhibitor
overproduction.
A team led by Dr.
Ki Duk Park developed a medicine called “KDS2010,” a candidate for the
treatment of dementia caused by GABA overproduction, with it being transferred
to MEGA Bio (for an advance payment of KRW 500 million) in 2017. This
technology transfer, under agreement with NeuroBiogen, a subsidiary of MEGA
Bio, is intended to expand on the adaptivity of KDS2010, which has been used
for the treatment of spinal cord injuries and strokes.
To develop this
transferred technology, Dr. Park’s team verified the recovery efficacy and
mechanisms of treatment techniques for spinal cord injuries in treating GABA
inhibitor overproduction through joint research with Dr. Yoon Ha’s team from
Yonsei University’s School of Medicine. The research team confirmed that, in
rat subjects with damaged spinal cord nerve cells, the technology was able to
rehabilitate the damaged nerve cells.
Furthermore, Dr.
Hyung Il Kim and his team from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology
(GIST) have verified the technology’s rehabilitative efficacy and use as a
treatment technique for strokes. Motor function decline in animal subjects with
stroke was significantly improved through the use of injected medicines and
rehabilitation training exercises, and the recovery efficacy of the
lesion-afflicted area from use of the treatment techniques was also confirmed.
The research
partners announced that non-clinical trials of treatment candidates were
expected to be completed through joint research within the first half of 2020,
and that they also plan to conduct phase-one clinical trials in 2020, as well
as phase-two clinical trials of treatments for each indication. This kind of
technology transfer and plan for research cooperation is expected to accelerate
the development of first-in-class medicines for spinal cord injuries and
strokes.
A prepayment of
KRW 400 million for the technology transfer was made (KRW 200 million from
KIST), with a milestone payment of KRW 2.4 billion for conducting clinical
trials and technical fees also being arranged. In addition, regarding the joint
research follow-up about drug candidates for the non-clinical and clinical
trials, NeuroBiogen will entrust an additional KRW 3.9 billion in research
funds to KIST, and solidify cooperative relations by continuing to conduct
joint research with KIST.