[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] THE E&M announced on the 8th that its affiliate, bio platform specialist company Luca AI Cell, has attracted an investment of 5 billion KRW from the Korea Development Bank.
Luca AI Cell possesses new technologies such as drug delivery systems utilizing nano-technology-based artificial cell membrane (Lipid Bilayer) core technology, various virus and cancer diagnostics, new drug development platforms, and gene delivery platforms. Despite being a startup established just over a year ago, Luca AI Cell has been recognized for its growth potential by signing joint research MOUs with leading domestic and international companies based on the research achievements and technological capabilities of Professor Cho Namjun, a world-renowned authority and Chief Technology Officer in the field of artificial cell membranes.
Luca AI Cell plans to use the investment funds to acquire an exclusive license for the third-generation antiviral peptide patent developed by Professor Cho Namjun from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Additionally, it plans to participate in the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) AViDD (Antiviral Drug Discovery) program and conduct clinical trials in the United States. Clinical trials of ionizable lipids, which are standard materials for the drug delivery systems currently under development, will also be conducted simultaneously.
The AViDD award program is part of the Antiviral Program for Pandemic (APP) established by the US Department of Health and Human Services to accelerate the development of COVID-19 treatments. In July last year, nine research institutes and various research projects from each institute were selected through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the NIH.
A representative of THE E&M said, "This investment signifies that Luca AI Cell has been recognized for its competitiveness in the most technology-intensive and highly utilizable high value-added technology application fields within the bio industry," adding, "It is expected to grow into a global leading company in this field."
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