CrystalGenomics "Fundamental Osteoarthritis Treatment, Confirmed Excellent Cartilage Regeneration Effect"

Defective Cartilage Regeneration... Confirming the Potential for Fundamental Osteoarthritis Treatment

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] CrystalGenomics and Danatheine announced on the 17th that their new drug candidate 'DRT101' was found to be more effective than the natural recovery signaling substance BMP7 in repairing damaged cartilage tissue in animal experiments induced with osteoarthritis.

An official stated, "The research results demonstrate that the chimeric protein, invented by integrating protein structural biology and protein engineering technologies, overcomes the limitations of natural substances in cartilage tissue regeneration and shows potential for treatment."

The DRT-101 bio new drug candidate protein is one of the chimeric protein series. It is a synthetic protein invented by recombining (super-BMP7 function) the cell growth factors BMP7 and Activin A, which induce differentiation into specific cell types. It was developed to induce regeneration to restore the imbalance between 'degeneration' and 'regeneration' of osteoarthritic tissue that progresses naturally with aging in the human body.

Since last November, Danatheine has developed a mass production process and started preclinical research on DRT-101 as an osteoarthritis treatment (Dimode). The pharmaceutical product configuration includes the DRT-101 protein, a cell delivery vehicle, and a scaffold for tissue regeneration, designed as a medical device for osteoarthritis treatment that is injected into the joint without surgery.

Dr. Seunghyun Choi of Danatheine, who led the research, emphasized, "We observed that damaged rabbit joint surface tissue recovered faster than natural recovery tissue through weekly joint injections with DRT-101 for 8 weeks," and added, "We directly observed the recovery effect."

A CrystalGenomics official said, "Based on excellent animal experiment results, we will further strengthen our bio new drug pipeline in the field of osteoarthritis treatment."