"Oncolytic Virus, the All-Rounder Fighting Cancer... CDMO to Join In"

Yoon Chae-ok, CEO of Jin Medicine
Over 25 Years of Cancer and Virus Research
Joint Platform R&D with Celltrion
Expansion into CMO-CDMO Business

"We found that anticancer viruses not only have the ability to selectively kill cancer cells but also possess various other capabilities. In short, they are all-rounders."

Yoon Chae-ok, CEO of Jin Medicine.
Photo by Lee Myung-hwan

On the 30th, at the Jin Medicine headquarters located on the Hanyang University campus in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, CEO Yoon Chae-ok described anticancer viruses in this way. This is because anticancer viruses not only selectively proliferate in cancer cells but also block the supply of nutrients to cancer cells, allowing for anticancer effects in multiple ways.

CEO Yoon is regarded as a first-generation pioneer in the field of anticancer virus research in the Korean academic community. Currently serving as a professor in the Department of Biotechnology at Hanyang University, Yoon has been conducting research on anticancer viruses for over 25 years.

As the name suggests, anticancer viruses are viruses that attack cancer cells. They are genetically engineered and modified adenoviruses designed to attack cancer cells. The principle is to genetically modify anticancer viruses so that they selectively act only on cancer cells without affecting normal cells. Through this, they target specific tumor cells and induce their death. Moreover, anticancer viruses can proliferate in other cancer cells as well, killing them together to maximize the anticancer effect. According to CEO Yoon, adenoviruses used in anticancer viruses have been widely utilized in vaccine development, and their safety has been sufficiently verified in clinical settings. For example, the COVID-19 vaccines developed by AstraZeneca and Janssen use a viral vector method, and the virus used in these vaccines is adenovirus.

Although the anticancer effect of anticancer viruses appears perfect in theory, some limitations still exist. First, systemic administration is difficult. Since anticancer viruses are a type of virus, our immune system attacks them. The production of neutralizing antibodies that reduce the infectivity of the virus also diminishes the effectiveness of anticancer viruses. Another limitation is that the extracellular matrix (ECM) present between cancer cells prevents the widespread distribution of anticancer viruses within tumors. Collagen, the most abundant protein in the extracellular matrix, creates a physical barrier that blocks viral proliferation.

CEO Yoon explains that Jin Medicine’s 'GM Anticancer Virus' can overcome these limitations. The GM Anticancer Virus has been genetically modified to increase cancer cell specificity. With higher specificity, its ability to selectively attack only cancer cells has been enhanced. Conversely, the likelihood of proliferation in normal cells is reduced, increasing safety. At the same time, the proliferation ability of the anticancer virus has been enhanced to improve therapeutic effects.

Jin Medicine is developing four anticancer virus pipelines using this technology: GM101 (solid tumors), GM102 (pancreatic cancer), GM103 (metastatic lung cancer, liver cancer, ovarian cancer), and GM104 (solid tumors). Among these, GM101 is the fastest progressing, having completed Phase 1 clinical trials and is currently producing samples aiming to enter Phase 2 clinical trials in the first half of next year. GM101 showed a disease control rate (DCR) of 57.9% in Phase 1 trials. GM103 submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application aiming to start clinical trials in the second half of this year, and GM104 is in the preclinical stage.

GM102, targeting pancreatic cancer, is being developed in collaboration with Celltrion. In February, Jin Medicine signed a joint research and development contract with Celltrion for a systemic administration anticancer virus platform technology and agreed to receive antibodies necessary for systemic administration from Celltrion. The provided antibodies will be used for the systemic administration of GM102. GM102 is currently nearing the end of the preclinical stage and is producing samples with the goal of entering clinical trials next year.

Jin Medicine is expanding not only its pipeline development but also into contract manufacturing (CMO) and contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) businesses. Initially, they outsourced the manufacturing of anticancer viruses to global CDMO companies, but when virus production did not proceed as expected, they established their own production lines and entered the C(D)MO business. Jin Medicine currently owns facilities with three production lines in Hanam-si, Gyeonggi-do. One of these lines is used for producing anticancer virus reagents for Jin Medicine, and the other two are used for C(D)MO.

The corporate philosophy of Jin Medicine is to successfully complete clinical trials and development of the pipelines under research and offer new lives to cancer patients. CEO Yoon emphasized, "We have results showing that anticancer viruses demonstrate high efficacy and safety," adding, "We will successfully develop them and make a significant contribution to saving the lives of cancer patients and improving their quality of life."