On the 26th, Chong Kun Dang announced on the 27th that it held an opening ceremony for the gene therapy research center 'Gen2C' at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. From left to right: Seonggon Kim, Head of Chong Kun Dang Hyojong Research Institute; Jeongjin Lee, CEO of Chong Kun Dang Bio; Seokgu Jo, Director of Industry-Academic Cooperation at Catholic University; Choonkyung Oh, Vice President of Chong Kun Dang; Minjung Kim, Head of Gene Therapy Research Lab at Chong Kun Dang.
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Chong Kun Dang has opened a gene therapy research center and is actively pursuing the development of advanced biopharmaceuticals as a future growth engine.
On the 26th, Chong Kun Dang held an opening ceremony for the gene therapy research center ‘Gen2C’ at the Omnibus Park of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, with about 50 guests including CEO Kim Young-joo and Jo Seok-gu, head of the Catholic University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, attending, the company announced on the 27th.
Gen2C is an abbreviation of ‘Gene to Cure,’ meaning ‘gene for treatment.’ It reflects Chong Kun Dang’s commitment to contributing to human health by developing innovative therapeutics using genes.
Chong Kun Dang plans to strengthen its expertise in the gene therapy field centered on Gen2C and establish itself as a leading company. Focusing on researchers in the gene therapy field at the Hyojong Research Institute, the company aims to develop rare and intractable disease treatments targeting unmet needs and undruggable targets where therapeutic development has been difficult with existing methods.
In particular, it will focus on gene therapies using adeno-associated virus (AAV), which has proven long-term efficacy and safety, as a delivery vehicle, and securing proprietary platform technology. The company will enhance industry-academia-research cooperation and exchange related to research and clinical trials and proceed with joint development through open innovation with domestic and international companies.
The company stated, “The global cell and gene therapy (CGT) market is expected to grow from $7.5 billion (about 11 trillion KRW) in 2021 to approximately $55.6 billion (about 79 trillion KRW) in 2026, with a high annual growth rate of about 49.1%. Through the opening of this gene therapy research center, we plan to secure independent technology and accelerate the development of global innovative new drugs.”
Recently, Chong Kun Dang has been expanding its new drug development scope to advanced biopharmaceuticals such as gene therapies and cell therapies. In May, it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Encell, a CGT contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) and next-generation stem cell therapy developer, for strategic investment and joint CGT research, announcing acceleration of joint research and development and production processes for advanced biopharmaceuticals.
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