ST Pharm Signs Research Agreement with POSTECH for mRNA Vaccine Bulk Production Consulting

Research Conducted with Advisory Support from POSTECH Research Group for 2 Years

[Asia Economy Reporter Jihee Kim] ST Pharm announced on the 29th that it has signed a consulting research agreement with the POSTECH Intelligent Microfluidic Pharmaceutical Synthesis Research Group to develop manufacturing equipment and process technology for LNP structures applying microfluidic engineering technology, aiming for mass production of vaccine bulk containing messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) molecules encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNP).

According to the agreement, ST Pharm will conduct research over the next two years under the consultation of the POSTECH research group. The results and intellectual property rights will be jointly owned by ST Pharm and the POSTECH research group, and identical research activities will be restricted during the research period or within one year after its expiration.

The research director, Dongpyo Kim, head of the Intelligent Microfluidic Pharmaceutical Synthesis Research Group, is a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at POSTECH and a world-renowned authority in microfluidic reactor design and manufacturing, as well as chemical process application research. Microfluidic engineering technology induces instantaneous natural diffusion reactions within 0.001 to 0.1 seconds in a small space to uniformly mix substances. It has been gaining attention not only in high-purity pharmaceutical synthesis but also recently in the field of mRNA vaccine manufacturing.

In the manufacturing process of mRNA vaccines, unstable mRNA molecules must be encapsulated (coated) with the lipid protective membrane of LNPs and distributed uniformly within the protective membrane. When various components are evenly dispersed inside the lipid protective membrane of LNPs and the size and shape are homogeneous, the efficacy of mRNA drugs is maximized and side effects are minimized.

Through consulting research with Professor Dongpyo Kim, ST Pharm plans to establish microfluidic reactors and process technology to rapidly secure a GMP-based large-scale production platform capable of producing mRNA vaccine bulk sufficient for vaccinating over 100 million people within a short period. Alongside this, they also plan to secure eco-friendly core technology that optimizes the types and composition ratios of lipids and minimizes the use of organic solvents.

An ST Pharm official stated, “Through this consulting research agreement with the POSTECH research group, we plan to optimize ST Pharm’s mRNA bulk production technology aiming for mass production of LNP structures where mRNA is uniformly combined with lipids,” adding, “We will expand the application of microfluidic engineering technology not only to mRNA COVID vaccines but also to post-COVID RNA-based antiviral and anticancer vaccines, as well as personalized precision medicine.”

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