- INNOPOLIS Foundation Focuses on Establishing Open Innovation in Advanced Biotechnology Among Industry, Academia, Research, Government, and Medical Institutions! -

□ The INNOPOLIS Foundation (President Byung-Sam Kang, hereinafter referred to as the Foundation) and the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (President Jang-Seong Kim, hereinafter referred to as KRIBB) announced that OneQureGen Co., Ltd. (CEOs Young-Gwon Choi and Kwan-Young Jang), the 1000th INNOPOLIS Company* , signed a technology transfer contract worth 34 billion won with Yonsei University Medical Center on June 2.

*A company established within the INNOPOLIS by investing more than 10% of its capital to directly commercialize the technologies developed by public research institutions.

 

□ In September 2020, OneCureGen Co., Ltd. was established as an INNOPOLIS Company through a joint venture between the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) and the KOSDAQ-listed company iCure Pharmaceutical Inc. Utilizing KRIBB’s cancer peptide development technology and iCure B&P’s drug delivery technology and management know-how, OneCureGen was certified as the "1,000th INNOPOLIS Company" by the Ministry of Science and ICT in 2020.

 

ㅇ Meanwhile, Daedeok INNOPOLIS focuses on building an open innovation ecosystem involving industry-academia-research-government-medical sectors, particularly in the advanced bio field. The Ministry of Science and ICT and the INNOPOLIS Foundation support the growth of advanced bio companies like OneCureGen by providing technology discovery and linkage consulting services. OneCureGen has received support from the INNOPOLIS Foundation's BM advancement and technology commercialization capability enhancement R&BD projects and secured Series A investment (5.05 billion KRW, May 2022) through business growth.

 

□ Through this technology transfer agreement, KRIBB will transfer the patents for "Composition for treating gastric cancer comprising SYT11 inhibitor as an active ingredient" and "Prognostic diagnostic marker for diffuse-type gastric cancer" to OneCureGen for a lump-sum technology fee of 34 billion KRW and a running royalty of '2% of sales.'

 

ㅇ The research team led by Dr. Mi-Seon Won and Dr. Bo-Kyung Kim from the Personalized Genomics and Medicine Research Group at KRIBB, in collaboration with Professor Jae-Ho Jung's team from Yonsei University Medical School, unveiled a new mechanism in November last year that can be used for prognostic diagnosis and treatment of diffuse-type gastric cancer involving the SYT11 (Synaptotagmin-11) gene. They developed a technology to control this mechanism.

 

ㅇ It was discovered that SYT11, known as a regulator of neurotransmitters in Parkinson's disease research, has a high expression rate in diffuse-type gastric cancer patients. Moreover, the higher the expression of SYT11, the lower the survival rate of these patients.

 

ㅇ Suppressing the expression of SYT11 was found to inhibit tumor formation and cancer metastasis in diffuse-type gastric cancer. The researchers identified eight substances capable of diagnosing and inhibiting SYT11 expression.

 

ㅇ Particularly, in mouse model experiments, the SYT11 inhibitors discovered by the research team showed applicability not only to diffuse-type gastric cancer but also to brain tumors and ovarian cancer with stem cell-like cancer properties.

 

ㅇ Through this, the development of SYT11-based anticancer drugs and the diagnosis, prognosis prediction, and treatment strategy establishment for diffuse-type gastric cancer patients receiving these anticancer drugs are expected to become more feasible.

 

□ Through this technology transfer agreement, OneCureGen Co., Ltd. will receive the SYT11 inhibitor and diagnostic marker technology for diffuse-type gastric cancer from KRIBB and Yonsei University Medical School. They will work towards developing personalized treatments for refractory stem cell-like cancers.

 

□ The INNOPOLIS Foundation will continue to support the cultivation of excellent advanced bio companies like OneCureGen Co., Ltd. by strengthening public technology discovery and corporate linkage channels, and by establishing an open innovation system.

 

□ Byung-Sam Kang, Chairman of the INNOPOLIS Foundation, stated, "Marking the 50th anniversary of Daedeok INNOPOLIS in 2023, we see this event as significant in creating a continuous support system for INNOPOLIS Companies through collaboration among the key innovation entities in industry-academia-research-government-medical sectors. We will not spare any effort in supporting the continued commercialization success of companies."

Reference

Photo from MOU Signing Ceremony (original file attached)

(Photo 1) Commemorative photo of key participants and guests at the technology transfer signing ceremony among the 1000th INNOPOLIS Company, OneCureGen, KIOST, and Yonsei University Medical Center. (From left to right) KIOST Director Kyung-Chan Park, Manager Hong-Won Lee, INNOPOLIS Foundation Researcher Sang-Min Yoon, KIOST President Jang-Seong Kim, Dr. Bo-Kyung Kim, Dr. Mi-Seon Won, OneCureGen Chairman Young-Kwon Choi, Professor Jae-Ho Jung from Yonsei University Medical School, OneCureGen CEO Kwan-Young Jang, INNOPOLIS Foundation Director Eun-Il Park, SYWP CEO Sung-Wook Hong, OneCureGen CFO Young-Seok Lee.

(Photo 2) Technology transfer signing ceremony among the 1000th INNOPOLIS Company, OneCureGen, KIOST, and Yonsei University Medical Center. (From left to right) KIOST President Jang-Seong Kim, Dr. Bo-Kyung Kim, Dr. Mi-Seon Won, OneCureGen Chairman Young-Kwon Choi, Professor Jae-Ho Jung from Yonsei University Medical School, OneCureGen CEO Kwan-Young Jang, CFO Young-Seok Lee.

Reference 2

Company Introduction: OneCureGen

 □ (Company Overview) OneCureGen Co., Ltd. (CEOs: Choi Young-Gwon and Jang Kwan-Young) is an INNOPOLIS company jointly established by the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) and Ilyang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.* 

    * A company established in a research and development zone with more than 10% of its capital invested by public research institutions for direct commercialization of developed technologies. 

ㅇ OneCureGen was founded in July 2020, combining KRIBB's technology for developing anti-cancer peptides with Ilyang Pharmaceutical's drug delivery technology and management know-how.

ㅇ It received certification from the Ministry of Science and ICT as the "1000th INNOPOLIS Company" in September 2020. It also received certification for a corporate-affiliated research institute in October 2021 and was recognized as an innovative growth venture company on December 1, 2021. 

ㅇ The company has secured various research projects, including the Technology Commercialization Capability Enhancement Project and the Capability Enhancement Follow-up Advancement Project (2020-2021) by the INNOPOLIS Foundation, and the Big Leading Model Project by the Science and Technology Jobs Promotion Agency (2021).

ㅇ It attracted Series A investment of 5.05 billion KRW in May 2022.

 * INNOPOLIS Company: A type of company established through joint investment by public institutions and enterprises to commercialize technologies.

□ (Current Status) OneCureGen possesses technologies related to new target verification, biomarker discovery, innovative anti-cancer drug development, and drug delivery systems, aiming to develop globally innovative anti-cancer drugs for personalized treatment.

ㅇ The company is developing the VGLL1S84 peptide, an anti-cancer substance that inhibits the VGLL1-TEAD4 target for advanced gastric cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, and pancreatic cancer. VGLL1S84 peptide targets niche markets including patients with EGFR overexpression, PIK3CA mutation, HER2 drug resistance, and HIPPO pathway inactivation. 

ㅇ  It is also developing drugs that exhibit anti-tumor efficacy by inhibiting the accumulation of HIF-1 in cancer cells under hypoxic conditions through the suppression of mitochondrial function in liver cancer and hematologic cancer. These drugs aim to inhibit cancer cell proliferation and regulate cancer metabolism and the microenvironment.

Reference 3

Terminology

□ Diffuse-Type Gastric Cancer  

ㅇ Gastric cancer is histologically classified into intestinal type and diffuse type according to Lauren’s classification. In tissue staining, the intestinal type appears as tubular structures, while the diffuse type appears as dispersed cell groups due to low cell adhesion. 

 

ㅇ Diffuse-type gastric cancer typically accounts for 30-40% of all gastric cancers and is difficult to detect even with endoscopy. It is more commonly found in younger individuals, especially women, and has a very poor prognosis.

ㅇ Diffuse-type gastric cancer has low HER2 expression and shows low responsiveness to most gastric cancer drugs. There is no established treatment, and it generally involves the use of PD-1 antibodies, VEGFR inhibitors, and cytotoxic agents.

□ SYT11 (synaptotagmin11)

ㅇ Belongs to the Synaptotagmin family and is involved in the exocytosis/endocytosis of neurotransmitters and hormones.  

ㅇ Degraded by Parkin (E3 ligase); reduced levels of Parkin lead to an increase in SYT11. High levels of SYT11 in the brain can induce schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.

ㅇ Highly expressed in diffuse-type gastric cancer tissues, leading to poor prognosis due to cancer malignancy induction.

ㅇ Mouse experiments with high SYT11 expression showed increased incidences of lung cancer, gastric cancer, and liver cancer.

□ ASO (Antisense Oligonucleotide) Drugs

ㅇ Oligonucleotide substances synthesized with chemical structures such as P=S, o-Me, O-ME, LNA, etc., to bind well with the pre-mRNA/mRNA of the target protein.

ㅇ Exhibits drug efficacy by recognizing the secondary structure of target protein mRNA and inhibiting protein production (translation) through RNAse H-dependent/independent RNA degradation, splicing modulation, and ribosome blocking.

ㅇ Highly selective and stable drugs for mutations or SNPs, enabling rapid development of personalized medicines.

 

Reference 4

Developer

Dr. Mi-Seon Won's Curriculum Vitae

1. Personal Information

Affiliation: Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB

Genome Customized Medicine Research Group

Phone : 042-860-4178

e-mail : misun@kribb.re.kr

 

2. Education

1977 - 1981 Ewha Womans University, College of Pharmacy (B.S.)

1983 - 1984 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Microbiology (M.S.)

 1985 - 1990 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Microbiology (Ph.D.)

 

3. Professional Experience

2000 - Present: Senior/Principal Researcher, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB)

2003 - 2005: Principal Investigator, Assigned to FHCRC (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

2006 - 2014: Adjunct Professor, Department of Microbiology, Chungnam National University

2007 - Present: Professor, UST KRIBB School, University of Science and Technology (UST)

 

4. Expertise

Cancer Biology: Research on discovering and validating new cancer treatment targets

Development of Target-Based Anticancer Drugs:

Research on small molecules, peptides, siRNA, and antisense oligonucleotides (ASO)

Development of Small Molecule Anticancer Drugs: Screening of anticancer substances and studying their mechanisms of action

Dr. Bo-Kyung Kim's Curriculum Vitae

1. Personal Information

Affiliation: Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB)

Genome Customized Medicine Research Group

Phone : 042-879-8177

e-mail : kimbk@kribb.re.kr

 

2. Education

1996 - 2000: Dongguk University, Department of Biochemistry (B.S.)

2000 - 2002: Yeungnam University, Department of Medicine (M.S.)

2003 - 2008: Korea University, Department of Medicine (Ph.D.)

 

3. Professional Experience

2008 - 2010: Postdoctoral Fellow, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB)

2010 - Present: Principal/Senior/Chief Researcher, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB)

2021 - Present: Adjunct Professor, University of Science and Technology (UST)

 

4. Expertise

Identification of Therapeutic Targets for Refractory Cancers: Research on discovering new therapeutic targets and developing treatment technologies for refractory cancers

 

Dr. Jae-Ho Jeong's Curriculum Vitae

1. Personal Information

 

o Affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine

o Phone: +82-2-2228-2094

o Email: jhcheong@yuhs.ac

2. Education

 

o 1989 - 1995: M.D., Yonsei University College of Medicine

o 1997 - 2000: M.S., Yonsei University College of Medicine

o 2003 - 2006: Ph.D., Yonsei University College of Medicine

3. Professional Experience

 

o 2005 – Present: Professor, Yonsei University College of Medicine

o 2006 - 2009: Odyssey Fellowship, MD Anderson Cancer Center

o 2018 – 2021: Vice Dean of Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine

o 2019 – Present: Director, Personalized Medicine Center, Yonsei Cancer Center

o 2021 – Present: Director, Bio-Cluster Initiative, Yonsei University Health System

o 2020 - 2022: Member, Health Policy Advisory Committee

4. Expertise

 

o Tumor Microenvironment Metabolic Genomics: Research on molecular subtypes, tumor microenvironment, metabolic plasticity, and genomic characteristics of refractory cancers, and cancer cell bioenergetics.

o Precision Medicine: Classification of molecular subtypes, development of subtype-specific biological models, and discovery and development of molecular subtype-specific anticancer targets and new drugs.