HK Innoen Collaborates with TCnova Bio for AI-Discovered Targeted Anticancer Drug Research

HK Innoen announced on the 5th that it has begun a joint research project with TC Nova Bioscience aimed at discovering KRAS-targeting anticancer drug candidates through its proprietary artificial intelligence (AI)-based new drug development platform.

HK Innoen (left) and TC Nova Bioscience logos [Photo by each company]

The target substances in this project were discovered using HK Innoen’s proprietary AI-based new drug development platform called ‘inno-SUN’. These are anticancer drug candidates belonging to the ‘pan-KRAS inhibitor’ class, targeting various KRAS gene mutations. TC Nova Bioscience plans to collaborate with HK Innoen on optimizing the active substances and evaluating the compounds, with both companies aiming to secure candidate substances by next year.

The KRAS gene normally regulates growth signals within the body, but when mutated, it induces the growth and metastasis of cancer cells. Such KRAS gene mutations are commonly found in patients with pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer. However, over 90% of patients have limited or no treatment options, leading to a growing demand for therapeutic development over the years. According to Quick Research, a global pharmaceutical market research firm, the global KRAS inhibitor market size is expected to exceed $4 billion (approximately 5.2 trillion KRW) by 2028.

Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a ‘KRAS G12C’ mutation-targeting anticancer drug, but existing treatments only inhibit specific KRAS mutations among many, and have limitations such as low response rates and high resistance. Therefore, there is a need to develop new drugs that can be used as combination therapies to enhance efficacy or that can be applied to a broad range of KRAS gene mutations.

HK Innoen and TC Nova Bioscience plan to develop the currently discovered substances as first-line combination therapies that show effectiveness against various KRAS mutations while enhancing the effects of existing approved KRAS inhibitor treatments and suppressing resistance development.

Bongtae Kim, Head of the New Drug Research Institute at HK Innoen (Executive Director), said, “Our goal is to focus our strengths in the respective research fields to quickly derive competitive candidate substances and proceed with nonclinical and clinical trials as well as global commercialization.” Chanseon Park, CEO of TC Nova Bioscience, also stated, “If the specialized research capabilities of both companies come together to create synergy, it will be possible to derive excellent candidate substances in a short period of time.”

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