HLB Panagen, a subsidiary of HLB Group, has joined the US government-led cancer conquest consortium 'Cancer X.' It is the fifth member from South Korea, following Lunit, Prestige Biopharma, GenCurix, and EDGC.
HLB Panagen announced on the 28th that it has been registered as a member company of CancerX. The CancerX website shows the HLB Panagen logo (bottom left). [Image source=Excerpt from CancerX website]
On the 28th, HLB Panagen announced that it joined Cancer X as a member in recognition of its cancer molecular diagnostic technology using artificial gene materials. Cancer X is a public-private partnership established mainly by the US cancer research institute Moffitt Cancer Center and the Digital Medicine Society (DiME). It is effectively leading the Biden administration's 'Cancer Moonshot' project, which aims to reduce cancer mortality by more than 50% over the next 25 years. In addition to domestic companies including HLB Panagen, global companies such as Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Takeda, and AstraZeneca (AZ) are also participating.
HLB Panagen is the only company in the world that has developed and mass-produced artificial DNA called 'Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA),' synthesized from peptides. Based on PNA, it possesses technology to precisely detect various cancer gene mutations such as epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR), KRAS, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PIK3CA). While DNA is biochemically unstable, PNA is highly stable and has strong binding affinity, enabling rapid detection and amplification of even trace amounts of target gene mutations, resulting in high accuracy.
Using this technology, HLB Panagen has developed and sells precision diagnostic kits for lung cancer, breast cancer, thyroid cancer, and others. Its main products include the 'Panamutaifer' and 'OncoTector' series. The 'Panamutaifer R EGFR' was recently approved as an original companion diagnostic (CDx) product for first-line treatment with Yuhan Corporation's EGFR mutation non-small cell lung cancer drug 'Reclaza.' To prescribe Reclaza, it is mandatory to confirm the expression of target mutations such as EGFR exon 19 deletion or exon 21 substitution in patients using the approved CDx kit.
Panagen's lung cancer diagnostic product 'Patamutyper R EGFR'. Last month, it was approved as the first original companion diagnostic product in Korea, along with Yuhan Corporation's non-small cell lung cancer treatment 'Reclaza'. [Photo by Panagen]
Starting with its participation in Cancer X, HLB Panagen plans to actively enter the global market, including the US. Having already exported PNA materials to several countries and gained recognition for its technology, it is expected that the competitiveness of molecular diagnostic products for various cancers and infectious diseases will rapidly increase.
In particular, at the HLB Group level, as 'Lenvatinib' has entered the FDA's main review and there is high anticipation for its success as a first-line treatment for liver cancer in the US, it is analyzed that if HLB Panagen expands its business into the US market, the recognition of HLB Group within the US will also increase significantly.
Since HLB Group has set 'treatment' and 'diagnosis' as its two core growth pillars, HLB Panagen also plans to develop anticancer drugs utilizing PNA technology beyond diagnostics in the future. Because PNA has a strong binding affinity to human DNA, it is expected to suppress cancer gene expression by binding to cancer DNA and blocking DNA transcription.
Jang In-geun, CEO of HLB Panagen, said, "To conquer cancer, it is essential not only to develop effective anticancer drugs but also to develop high-performance precision diagnostic devices that accurately detect and match the various gene mutations expressed differently in each patient. Having already been recognized for its high technology in this field through companion diagnostic approval, HLB Panagen will strengthen its diagnostic business in the US through participation in Cancer X and gradually expand into the treatment field, contributing to realizing the grand vision of conquering cancer for humanity."
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