Daewoong Pharmaceutical Acquires Turn Bio's Core Platform, Accelerates Development of Age-Related Disease Therapeutics

Exclusive Acquisition of Core "Partial Reprogramming" Technology

Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on May 21 that it has secured related technology assets and rights by winning the auction for the core assets of Turn Biotechnologies, a U.S. biotechnology company. With this acquisition, the company will accelerate its research and development of therapeutics for age-related diseases.

This asset acquisition is part of a next-generation therapeutic strategy that views aging not as a simple physiological phenomenon, but as a controllable biological process, aiming to address the root causes of diseases rather than merely alleviating symptoms. Daewoong Pharmaceutical plans to enhance its group-wide research and development capabilities in age-related diseases and secure a leading position in the field of aging therapeutics.

The core technology of Turn Bio, the ERA platform, is a "partial reprogramming" technique that delivers reprogramming factors in the form of mRNA to aged cells, restoring their function to a youthful and healthy state while maintaining their original cellular properties. Unlike conventional full reprogramming, which has limitations such as loss of cellular identity, this approach selectively improves only the functional decline while preserving the intrinsic characteristics of the cells. As a result, it is attracting attention as a next-generation approach to treating age-related diseases.

This asset acquisition was made possible based on HanAll Biopharma's accumulated research experience through joint research with Turn Bio. HanAll Biopharma had previously signed a technology introduction agreement with Turn Bio to explore the potential development of therapeutics for age-related diseases and, together with Daewoong Pharmaceutical, invested in Turn Bio, establishing a foundation for long-term collaboration.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical expects to expand its research into various indications, including age-related ophthalmic and auditory disorders, by linking HanAll Biopharma's research experience with its own research and development capabilities.

As the population ages rapidly and interest in extending healthy lifespans grows, the global landscape of aging research is changing quickly. In Korea as well, research on aging control and regenerative medicine is being actively conducted, particularly at major research institutions and academic circles, drawing increased industrial interest.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical plans to use this asset acquisition as an opportunity to more systematically and rapidly advance the development of therapeutics for age-related diseases. In particular, by integrating mRNA and delivery technologies, disease-specific development strategies, and global commercialization capabilities, the company aims to discover next-generation pipelines and strengthen its competitiveness.

Seongsoo Park, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, stated, "Aging research has become a core field that can change the paradigm of future medicine, beyond targeting just a single disease. By securing this platform technology, we will further advance next-generation therapeutic strategies that address the root causes of age-related diseases and enhance our research and development competitiveness to a global standard."

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