Kumho HT Announces Research Results on Monkey Liver Transplant Using Immunosuppressant ‘DNP007’

Kumho HT announced on the 13th that the research results of primate liver transplantation using the immunosuppressant candidate substance ‘DNP007,’ jointly studied with Seoul National University Hospital, have been published in the official journal of the American Transplantation Society, the American Journal of Transplantation.

Liver transplantation is the only treatment for patients with end-stage liver failure, involving receiving part or all of a donor’s liver for transplantation. Liver transplant surgeries began in the 1960s and have rapidly grown both quantitatively and qualitatively, with the domestic liver transplant success rate approaching 100%. However, there is a challenge in that lifelong immunosuppressant medication must be taken when transplanting solid organs, including the liver.

Calcineurin inhibitors, when taken long-term, can cause serious side effects such as deterioration of kidney and heart health, neurotoxicity, cancer, and diabetes, but must be continuously administered to protect the transplanted organ. Representative calcineurin inhibitors include cyclosporine and tacrolimus, which are also used to treat autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis beyond organ transplantation.

Professor Namjoon Lee’s team at Seoul National University Hospital revealed research results that resolved chronic rejection in liver-transplanted monkeys by administering only the ‘DNP007’ candidate substance without maintenance immunosuppressive therapy such as calcineurin inhibitors, supported by the research-oriented hospital project ‘Establishment of Gene-Cell-Organ Fusion Biotherapy Platform.’

According to the research team, monkeys that received traditional immunosuppressants after liver transplantation did not survive beyond three months, whereas monkeys continuously administered the ‘DNP007’ candidate substance maintained normal liver function for over three years, except for one monkey that showed signs of hepatic vein occlusion. Additionally, no other side effects, including signs of opportunistic infections, were observed during the trial period.

The preliminary study disclosed by the research team in 2020 showed remarkable results by administering the ‘MD-3’ chimeric antibody for three months before and after liver transplantation, controlling rejection for up to two years, but it had limitations in controlling chronic rejection. A company representative stated, “The ‘DNP007’ maintenance therapy is a treatment method that improves the ‘MD-3’ candidate substance into a humanized antibody for long-term periodic administration,” emphasizing, “The ‘DNP007’ candidate substance can replace calcineurin immunosuppressants and safely protect transplanted organs for a long time.”

Meanwhile, calcineurin inhibitors formed a massive market worth $9 billion as of 2022. The company explained that the clinical research on ‘DNP007,’ to be led by the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery at Seoul National University Hospital, also holds significant commercial importance.

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