SK Biopharm US Subsidiary Announces Research Results on Targeted Protein Degradation Technology

US 'Discovery on Target 2023'
Presentation of IKZF2 Molecular Glue Research Results

SK Biopharm announced on the 27th that its U.S. research and development (R&D) subsidiary, Proteovant, will present the latest research results in the field of targeted protein degradation (TPD) technology at 'Discovery on Target 2023' held in Boston.

SK Biopharm CI. [Image provided by SK Biopharm]

At the presentation held from the 27th (local time) to the 28th, Proteovant will unveil for the first time the excellent drug properties and preclinical efficacy results of selective molecular gluer targeting 'IKZF2,' an immune oncology target, using MOPED (Molecular gluer screening platform), an innovative platform for discovering molecular gluer (MG).

MOPED is a platform that provides a new method to find molecular gluer compounds that can degrade malfunctioning proteins, kill cancer cells, or inhibit cancer cell growth. Molecular gluer compounds are smaller molecules compared to conventional PROTACs and enable targeted protein degradation, representing a next-generation TPD area expected to accelerate development and expand applicable diseases based on improved drug properties.

SK Biopharm and Proteovant are discovering and developing first-in-class degraders that can act on targets previously without therapeutics through TPD research and MOPED.

SK Biopharm recently declared TPD as one of its new modalities. TPD technology utilizes the body's protein degradation system to remove target proteins that cause diseases. To this end, SK Biopharm acquired Proteovant in July to secure global-level TPD research and development capabilities.

Lee Dong-hoon, CEO of SK Biopharm, said, "We are pleased to share new molecular gluer research achievements for cancer treatment through Proteovant," adding, "Based on the best TPD technology that overcomes the limitations of existing therapeutics, we will globalize our research capabilities and accelerate the development of innovative platform technologies to establish ourselves as a leading company in the next-generation TPD field."

Meanwhile, the full list and introduction of all research to be shared at Discovery on Target 2023, including Proteovant's presentation, can be found on the official event website.