Medipron Signs Joint R&D Agreement on NLRP3 Inhibitors with Chonnam National University College of Pharmacy

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Medipron, a biotech company specializing in new drug development, announced on the 24th that it has recently signed a joint research agreement with Professor Wonje Cho's team at Chonnam National University College of Pharmacy to develop a dementia treatment drug based on the NLRP3 inhibitor (brain inflammation) mechanism.

A company representative stated, "Until now, Alzheimer's dementia treatments have focused on drug development targets centered on amyloid-beta and tau proteins, but recently attention has shifted to the brain's inflammatory response," adding, "The target has expanded to inflammation by regulating the inflammasome to treat Alzheimer's dementia."

NLRP3 inhibitors are currently one of the most notable fields, with many global pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), and Novartis developing treatments for various indications including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Since 2018, Medipron has successfully discovered lead compounds through a three-year joint research with Chonnam National University that inhibit OGA activity to suppress tau protein hyperphosphorylation, preventing tau protein degeneration and aggregation, and has filed domestic patents. This joint research and development for brain inflammation treatment drugs was signed based on mutual trust stemming from these achievements.

A company representative said, "Through this agreement, we expect to accelerate the development of Alzheimer's disease treatments targeting the currently ongoing NLRP3 inhibitors and to discover lead compounds within this year," adding, "Since the NLRP3 inflammasome is involved in various diseases including diabetes and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, we plan to develop it as a platform technology that can be expanded to various indications through additional research."