C&C New Drug Research Institute Selected as 'Excellent Corporate Research Institute' by Ministry of Science and ICT

Park Chan-hee, CEO of C&C New Drug Research Institute (right), is receiving a certificate of designation from Lee Chang-yoon, Director of the Research and Development Policy Office at the Ministry of Science and ICT, at the Excellent Corporate Research Institute Certificate Award Ceremony held at the Westin Chosun Hotel on the 20th. (Photo by JW Pharmaceutical)

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] JW Pharmaceutical announced on the 21st that its research subsidiary, C&C New Drug Research Institute, was recognized for enhancing the research and development (R&D) competitiveness of the domestic industry and was selected as an 'Excellent Corporate Research Institute for the Second Half of 2022' by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The Excellent Corporate Research Institute designation project is a program by the Ministry of Science and ICT that selects companies with outstanding research capabilities and commitment to technological innovation, nurturing and supporting them as benchmarking models. Once selected as an excellent corporate research institute, the status is maintained for three years, and benefits such as a certificate and plaque, government awards, and preferential treatment in national R&D project selection are provided.

C&C New Drug Research Institute is Korea's first Korea-Japan joint bio-venture established in 1992 by JW Pharmaceutical and Japan's Chugai Pharmaceutical under the Roche Group. It was incorporated as a 100% subsidiary of JW Pharmaceutical in 2020. Since 2010, C&C New Drug Research Institute has conducted independent research projects and is discovering innovative first-in-class drug candidates through its chemistry and bioinformatics-based data science platform, CLOVER.

C&C New Drug Research Institute has secured a total of 10 new drug pipelines targeting tumors and immune diseases. Among them, three drugs?the gout treatment Epaminurad (URC102), the atopic dermatitis treatment JW1601, and the anticancer agent JW2286?have been licensed to JW Pharmaceutical. JW1601 and Epaminurad were subsequently licensed out to Denmark's Leo Pharma and China's Simcere Pharmaceutical in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Currently, the institute is focusing on new drug discovery research targeting STAT (1?6) proteins that regulate cell growth, mutation, and proliferation. The new drug pipeline includes STAT3 atopic dermatitis treatment, STAT5 targeted anticancer agent (hematologic cancer), and STAT3-ADC anticancer agent (solid tumors). The institute is also actively engaging in open innovation activities with global research institutions such as Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), biotech companies, and hospitals.

Park Chanhee, CEO of C&C New Drug Research Institute, said, "We are pleased that our institute's R&D capabilities have been recognized. We will put more effort into strengthening our capabilities to achieve our vision of growing into a global biotech company representing Korea."

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