[Public Notice+] Mediphron Invests in NewMace, Developer of Atherosclerosis Diagnostic and Therapeutic Agent

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] Mediphron Divity, a new drug development bio company, announced on the 7th that it will acquire a 20% stake in the atherosclerosis diagnosis and treatment bio-venture ‘NewMice’ for 3.2 billion KRW.

NewMice is led by CEO Dr. Changsoo Kim, a former FDA researcher and professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Wisconsin. It is a bio-venture founded in 2019 with technical advisor Professor Hakjun Sung, who previously served as a professor of biomedical engineering and cardiology at Vanderbilt University and is currently a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Yonsei University College of Medicine.

The pipeline currently under development by NewMice includes a vascular stenosis and atherosclerosis diagnosis and treatment agent using stem cell-derived nanovesicles, and a temperature-responsive, biodegradable hydrogel-based targeted drug delivery system (DDS, Drug Delivery System).

The atherosclerosis diagnosis and treatment agent being developed by NewMice is made by crushing mesenchymal stem cells into 100-nanometer-sized particles and attaching peptides targeting the blood vortex areas inside blood vessels that cause atherosclerosis on the surface, creating functional nanovesicles. These are used to diagnose and treat vascular stenosis and atherosclerosis.

Various cardiovascular diseases, including vascular stenosis and atherosclerosis due to aging, are identified as the second leading cause of death worldwide and in Korea, following cancer. Currently, treatment is only possible after onset through thrombolytic agents and stent insertion. If the treatment being developed by NewMice is commercialized, it is expected to become the world’s first vascular stenosis and atherosclerosis diagnosis and treatment agent.

Additionally, NewMice is developing a hydrogel-based targeted drug delivery system for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which currently have no fundamental cure. At present, targeting treatment drugs only to lesion sites in IBD is impossible, leading to side effects from drug overdose and high treatment costs for this intractable disease. The targeted drug delivery system being developed by NewMice is based on a temperature-responsive, biodegradable hydrogel using FDA-approved materials (PEG, PCL), which can be locally injected directly into the lesion sites in the intestines to adhere the therapeutic drugs to the targeted areas, thereby maximizing drug treatment efficacy.

Mr. Giseon Noh, CEO of Mediphron, said, “This investment is the first achievement since Mediphron joined the BrainContents Group,” adding, “We plan to cooperate with NewMice not only for synergy related to existing dementia drug development but also to add new bio-drug development pipelines in the future.”

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