Daewoong Pharmaceutical Collaborates with Fin Therapeutics to Discover New Drugs Using Protein Degradation Technology

Signing of Joint Research Agreement
Collaboration on Joint Research, Development, and Commercialization of New Drug Candidates
Initiation of First Target Early Evaluation Study

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Daewoong Pharmaceutical is embarking on the discovery of protein degradation new drugs through joint research and development with Pintera Therapeutics.

On the 16th, Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced that it has signed a joint research and development agreement with Pintera Therapeutics, a domestic biotech company based on a protein degradation new drug research platform technology, to develop new drugs using protein degradation technology.

Through this agreement, the two companies plan to establish cooperation for joint research, development, and commercialization of new drug candidates. Pintera Therapeutics will discover new drug candidates for selected targets, while Daewoong Pharmaceutical will conduct early-stage evaluation studies.

Upon signing the agreement, the two companies have already started early evaluation studies on the first target. Following the evaluation, for validated targets and new drug candidates, the companies plan to continue long-term cooperation by signing joint research and development contracts.

Protein degradation new drugs (Target Protein Degradation) are an innovative technology platform that utilizes the intracellular protein degradation system to specifically degrade desired proteins. Compared to conventional small molecule therapeutics, this approach can increase selectivity and efficacy, and has the advantage of targeting proteins that were previously difficult to target. Protein degradation new drugs are broadly classified into 'PROTAC (Proteolysis Targeting Chimera)' and 'molecular glue' based on their compound structures.

Pintera Therapeutics, established in 2017, is a protein degradation new drug research company that has developed two proprietary platform technologies for efficient drug development. The Pintera Therapeutics platform technology is characterized by its ability to rapidly secure competitive new compounds and develop pipelines in the form of PROTACs and molecular glues targeting various proteins. Through this technology, the company has discovered and holds 11 new drug pipelines in PROTAC and molecular glue forms, focusing on hard-to-treat diseases such as refractory cancers and autoimmune diseases.

The PROTACs held by Pintera Therapeutics use molecules that interact with disease-related target proteins and 'E3 ubiquitin ligase (E3 ligase)', which is involved in protein degradation, connected by linkers to bring the target protein close to the E3 ligase, thereby inducing degradation of the target protein and controlling the disease. Molecular glues utilize the characteristic of small molecules to induce the formation of specific protein complexes, promoting the interaction between disease-causing target proteins and E3 ligase involved in protein degradation, leading to degradation of the target protein.

Seung-ho Jeon, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, said, “We are very excited to partner with Pintera Therapeutics, which continues to develop various pipelines using the innovative protein degradation platform technology,” and added, “As interest in new drug development based on protein degradation technology increases, we will accelerate the discovery of protein degradation new drugs through this agreement.”

Hyun-sun Cho, CEO of Pintera Therapeutics, stated, “We are pleased that the value of Pintera Therapeutics’ technology has been recognized,” and added, “Through research cooperation with Daewoong Pharmaceutical, which has excellent capabilities, we will strive to achieve visible results in discovering candidate substances for target proteins of interest.”

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