Abclon Signs Joint Development Agreement for Novel Coronavirus Antibodies with Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Appclon announced on the 7th that it has signed an agreement with the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) for the joint development of an antibody therapeutic for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

Appclon is a company specializing in antibody-based therapeutic development, possessing a novel antibody development platform technology. Based on this, it is developing monoclonal antibody therapeutics, bispecific antibody therapeutics, and CAR-T therapeutics.

The Pharmaceutical and Bio Research Division of KRICT is leading the enhancement of the global competitiveness of the domestic bioindustry and the creation of a new drug development ecosystem through securing therapeutic pipelines based on market demand, establishing new drug and diagnostic infrastructure for medical innovation, and developing new bio-technologies. Additionally, to address infectious disease social issues, KRICT has hosted the New Virus Fusion Research Group as the lead institution and is currently focusing on developing technologies for diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and containment of high-risk new and variant viruses.

The two institutions have agreed to rapidly develop antibodies that precisely diagnose the antigen proteins of the 2019-nCoV, while simultaneously developing therapeutic antibodies that universally neutralize new and variant coronaviruses. Regarding diagnostic antibody R&D, KRICT will be responsible for antigen analysis, antigen design and production, antibody pairing, performance verification of diagnostic antibodies, and prototype production of rapid diagnostic kits. Appclon will produce the antibodies for this purpose. In terms of therapeutic antibody R&D, Appclon will handle the production of therapeutic universal coronavirus antibodies, and KRICT will verify therapeutic efficacy using cell and animal models.

Cases where therapeutic antibody specialized companies collaborate with government-funded institutions to solve novel coronavirus infectious disease issues can also be found in the United States. A few days after Appclon announced its plan to develop antibodies against the novel coronavirus on the 31st of last month, Regeneron signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and announced its plan to develop antibody therapeutics for the novel coronavirus on the 4th (local time).

An Appclon official stated, “With the outbreak of the 2019-nCoV following SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), global awareness of the periodic occurrence of viral diseases is increasing.” He added, “Appclon possesses the technology and know-how to efficiently and effectively identify antibodies against specific antigens.” He continued, “By actively utilizing this, we will produce not only precise antibody-based diagnostic kits but also universal coronavirus therapeutic antibodies that neutralize mutated viruses, enabling rapid response to viral diseases.”

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