THE E&M affiliate Luca AI Cell (hereinafter ‘Luca’) announced on the 15th that its LEAD™ therapeutic agent under development has confirmed strong antiviral effects against more than 15 types of viruses, including the Marburg virus.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, due to the recent increase in Marburg fever patients in Rwanda, Africa, quarantine measures have been strengthened since the 10th by designating Ethiopia, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Rwanda as quarantine management areas to enable proactive quarantine responses. In South Korea, Marburg fever is classified as a first-class legally designated infectious disease. After an incubation period of 2 to 21 days, symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, and muscle pain occur, and death generally follows 8 to 16 days after symptom onset. Currently, there are no commercially available treatments or vaccines for Marburg fever, and the fatality rate ranges from 24% to 88%, depending on the country’s response capabilities.
As climate change such as global warming has recently increased the spread of viral diseases from tropical regions worldwide, the likelihood of outbreaks of unknown new diseases (Disease-X) is rising, highlighting the growing importance of broad-spectrum antiviral therapeutics.
Luca’s LEAD™ therapeutic agent is a peptide-based antiviral that recognizes and attacks only specific curvatures (degree of bending) on the lipid-based virus surface. Because it attacks viruses with a certain curvature unconditionally, it can simultaneously target viruses including Marburg virus, coronavirus, Zika, and dengue.
To verify the efficacy of the LEAD™ therapeutic agent, Luca conducted tests on more than 15 types of viruses, including the Marburg virus, in collaboration with domestic and international research institutions. Notably, there are only 55 facilities worldwide capable of testing highly fatal viruses like Marburg, which are difficult to prevent and treat. Among them, through cooperation with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, which is equipped with a Biosafety Level (BSL) 4 laboratory, strong antiviral effects were confirmed.
A representative of THE E&M stated, “In addition to broad-spectrum antivirals prepared for the next pandemic, we are accelerating the development of gene therapies utilizing core technologies such as artificial lipid bilayers and drug delivery system (DDS) manufacturing technologies. We are currently co-developing new drugs with various domestic and international partners, and rapid results are expected.”
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