Apicell Therapeutics Signs MOU with Excel Therapeutics for Stem Cell Therapy Medium Development

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Apicell Therapeutics, a joint venture established by Daewoong Pharmaceutical and UK-based Abakta, announced on the 20th that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Excel Therapeutics, a leading company in cell culture media, to develop customized media for gene-introduced stem cell therapies (applying the AFX platform).

The two companies were previously selected as final recipients of the '2022 Mid-sized Enterprise Win-Win Innovation Project' hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and plan to use the government funding of 850 million KRW over two years for joint research costs. The Mid-sized Enterprise Win-Win Innovation Project supports joint technology development between mid-sized and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and encourages sharing of outcomes. It aims to discover and expand win-win innovation R&D models led by mid-sized enterprises.

This MOU reflects the purpose of the Mid-sized Enterprise Win-Win Innovation Project to create exemplary success cases of cooperation between mid-sized and SMEs and to expand future collaboration. The two companies plan to jointly develop essential cell culture media for the AFX platform currently being developed by Apicell Therapeutics to increase technological independence and to jointly promote the development of customized media that meet the strengthened safety standards of regulatory agencies. Through this agreement, Apicell Therapeutics expects to accelerate the development of cell and gene therapies (CGT) by developing customized chemically defined media suitable for the AFX platform, improving culture efficiency, and securing suppliers of safer media.

Yoo Jong-sang, CEO of Apicell Therapeutics, said, "We will create the industry's best success case through joint development with Excel Therapeutics, not only for the development of CGT that will become the new standard in the future." Lee Eui-il, CEO of Excel Therapeutics, also expressed gratitude to Apicell Therapeutics for recognizing the technical and industrial value of serum-free chemically defined media in cell therapy development and commercialization, stating, "Through the successful completion of this project, we will demonstrate our bio-material development technology with global competitiveness."