[Featured Stock] Olipass Reevaluated for Exclusive RNA Design Technology Rights... All-Out Effort to Secure 'Dream Therapy' mRNA

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] OliPass's valuation is soaring. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, as the potential of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) research has been proven, a reevaluation of OliPass, which holds numerous related technologies, seems to be underway. With the market capitalization of GeneOne Life Science surpassing 2 trillion won and the stock price of iGene rising more than fourfold since the beginning of the year, interest in OliPass has also increased.

At 10:54 a.m. on the 1st, OliPass was trading at 13,150 won, up 8.68% from the previous day.

OliPass's stock price plummeted in March this year due to clinical-related issues, hitting a 52-week low on May 3. Recently, as the potential of mRNA technology is being reassessed, the stock price has strongly rebounded.

French pharmaceutical company Sanofi announced on the 29th (local time) that it will invest 400 million euros (approximately 539 billion won) annually in mRNA vaccine research. The plan is to develop at least six mRNA vaccine candidates by 2025.

Thomas Triomphe, Vice President of Sanofi Pasteur, said, "mRNA is not a solution for all infectious diseases, but it will enable vaccinations that have a tremendous impact on unmet public health needs."

Jean-Fran?ois Toussaint, head of research and development, stated, "The potential of mRNA technology was proven during the COVID-19 pandemic, but innovation is needed in aspects such as heat resistance and durability. Sanofi will lead the next chapter."

mRNA technology became widely known thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines produced by Germany's BioNTech and the United States' Moderna were developed in a short time and have an efficacy rate of 90%. The biotech industry expects mRNA-based high-tech medicine to offer therapeutic approaches for AIDS, influenza, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatism, all types of allergies, Alzheimer's, cystic fibrosis, knee arthritis, spinal discs, and cancers (breast, colon, skin, lung, prostate, etc.). The mRNA market could grow to over $300 billion.

The name OliPass refers to its proprietary platform technology that produces oligonucleotides with excellent cell permeability. The OliPass platform technology chemically modifies OPNA (OliPass Peptide Nucleic Acid) to have superior cell permeability and high nucleic acid affinity, binding to genetic material pre-mRNA inside cells to inhibit the production of normal mRNA (the genetic material that binds to ribosomes to synthesize proteins) through a mechanism called Exon Skipping.

OPNA is an artificial gene with excellent cell permeability and is used as the base material for OliPass's RNA therapeutic development. The foundational material patents for OPNA are registered in over 30 countries worldwide, including the United States, Japan, and major European countries, and OliPass's exclusive rights under these foundational material patents are valid until March 2028.

The OliPass platform acts at the pre-mRNA stage, delivering drugs not only across the cell membrane but also deep inside the cell nucleus. This allows for lower dosages, reducing toxicity and increasing the potential patient population. In addition to injectable forms, the platform can diversify administration methods to oral medications and eye drops, enhancing patient convenience.

Since all of OliPass's RNA therapeutic pipelines are based on OPNA acting on pre-mRNA, according to newly acquired patents, OliPass's effective monopoly on OPNA materials has been extended from March 2028 to the end of December 2036. Earlier this year, OliPass registered material and use patents in Singapore for OliPass PNA (OPNA) artificial genes specialized in binding pre-mRNA inside the cell nucleus to induce exon skipping.

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