大熊制药引入 KRIBB 肝类器官生产与药物评价技术

Daewoong Pharmaceutical has signed a technology transfer agreement with the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) to adopt its "liver organoid production and drug evaluation technology."
Daewoong Pharmaceutical recently concluded the technology transfer agreement with KRIBB, industry sources said on the 15th.
A liver organoid is a mini-organ that reproduces human liver function by culturing stem cells and other materials, also known as a "mini liver."
The signing ceremony, held at Daewoong Pharmaceutical's Magok Research Institute, was attended by key officials from both sides, including Daewoong Pharmaceutical CEO Park Sung-soo and KRIBB President Kwon Seok-yun.
Daewoong Pharmaceutical preemptively adopted the "three-dimensional human liver organoid production and toxicity evaluation platform" developed by a team led by Dr. Son Myung-jin at KRIBB. The technology secured through this agreement is regarded as a leading liver organoid platform with a high level of completeness and abundant empirical data. Through this, the company plans to respond to the global trend, led by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), of reducing animal testing and expanding the use of alternative testing methods.
The two-dimensional liver cells previously used mainly for evaluating new drug candidates in the pharmaceutical industry had limitations in accurately predicting drug toxicity due to their significant structural differences from actual organs in the body. In contrast, KRIBB's three-dimensional liver organoid precisely mimics human liver tissue and even the "intrahepatic bile ducts," the bile acid excretion structure, improving the accuracy of preclinical liver toxicity evaluation that was difficult to confirm even through animal testing.
In addition, its function is maintained even after long-term continuous proliferation and freezing and thawing, solving the "mass production" problem that had been the biggest challenge in the organoid field. It is evaluated as being the closest to commercialization.
The technology was adopted, for the first time in the world, into the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Test Guidelines Detailed Review Paper (DRP) project and into a new international standard project of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). International expert review is currently underway, and it may be established as an internationally recognized testing standard through the relevant procedures.
Through this technology adoption, Daewoong Pharmaceutical plans to advance its preclinical evaluation system to a level exceeding international standards and to substantially strengthen its competitiveness in global new drug development. By precisely pre-screening the liver toxicity of new drug candidates at the preclinical stage, the company aims to raise the success rate of new drug research and development (R&D) and reduce development costs and time.
"To increase the speed and efficiency of new drug development, a research platform that can evaluate candidate substances more precisely is essential," Daewoong Pharmaceutical CEO Park Sung-soo said. "Based on solid cooperation with KRIBB, we will continue to advance liver organoid technology and do our best to create tangible results at the new drug development site."
"The three-dimensional organ-mimicking source technology that KRIBB has accumulated has met Daewoong Pharmaceutical's new drug development capabilities and can now shine in the industrial field," KRIBB President Kwon Seok-yun said. "I hope this agreement becomes a model case of industry-research cooperation in which basic research by public research institutions contributes to the development of new drugs in industry."