Genensel Selected for Government Project to Support Clinical Costs of Shingles Treatment 'GNC101'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Genencell announced on the 22nd that it will be able to receive partial government support for the clinical trial costs of its currently developing shingles treatment 'GNC101.'

Genencell was selected as the lead institution for the clinical trial and overseas expansion consulting research project in the ‘Vaccine Technology Commercialization Open Innovation Lab and Startup Support Project’ led by the Jeonnam Bio Industry Promotion Agency's Biopharmaceutical Research Center.

This project supports startups, basic research, clinical trials, product commercialization, and overseas expansion by evaluating the excellence of technology commercialization, business execution capabilities, and utilization of research outcomes for companies developing antiviral therapeutics, immune therapies, and vaccines.

Genencell will conduct a Phase 2a clinical trial for the shingles treatment over the next six months with support from the Jeonnam Bio Industry Promotion Agency's Biopharmaceutical Research Center.

The clinical trial aimed at treating shingles is currently the only one in South Korea, with patient recruitment being sequentially conducted at eight hospitals. A total of 66 patients will be randomly assigned in a double-blind manner to two test groups and one active control group, administered the clinical drug orally for seven days, followed by exploratory evaluation of efficacy and safety.

The ‘GNC101’ candidate contains antiviral active ingredients extracted from the leaves of the domestically native plant Dampangsu and was jointly developed by Genencell and Kyung Hee University College of Life Sciences with support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Oh Young-chul, Executive Director in charge of raw pharmaceutical materials at Genencell and the principal investigator, stated, “In addition to this clinical trial, we plan to establish a close cooperative system with the Jeonnam Bio Industry Promotion Agency for raw material standardization and production, subsequent clinical phases, and continuously engage in linked projects such as discovering new materials through joint research and joint facility investments.”

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