Anjiolab Selected for Ministry of SMEs and Startups Support Project on 'Antibody-Specific Photoreactive Cancer Therapy'

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Angiolab, a company specializing in the development of angiogenesis inhibitors, announced on the 9th that it has been selected for the research project titled "Development of Photoreactive Anticancer Therapeutic Agents Combined with Antibody-Specific Characteristics," a phototherapy immunotherapy.

This project, conducted as part of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' regional specialized industry promotion program, is a joint research and development effort between Angiolab and Dr. I&B. Angiolab will provide antibodies it has developed to inhibit angiogenesis. Dr. I&B plans to manufacture 'Antibody-Photosensitizer Conjugates (APC)' by conjugating photosensitizers to Angiolab's antibodies, developing photoreactive anticancer agents with tumor-specific characteristics.

APC is a material used in Photoimmunotherapy. By conjugating antibodies with photosensitizers, the antibodies can locate cancer cells, and when exposed to light of a specific wavelength, the photosensitizers conjugated to the antibodies trigger a chemical reaction that destroys the cancer cells. This mechanism attacks only cancer cells without damaging normal cells, which is why it is expected to have fewer side effects than conventional anticancer treatments.

However, existing photoimmunotherapy has the drawback that when antibodies are developed to target only cancer cells, mutations or resistance in tumors can reduce treatment efficacy. This research, however, uses APC to block the blood vessels of tumors that supply oxygen and nutrients to cancer cells, promoting cancer cell death, making it potentially applicable to patients with cancers that are resistant to existing treatments or have metastasized.

An Angiolab representative stated, "By developing new APCs, we expect growth as it can be applied to various fields of anticancer therapy," adding, "To verify efficacy and expedite market entry, the development of therapeutics for companion animals will proceed simultaneously."