Daewoong Pharmaceutical Signs Joint Research Agreement with Sweden's Salipro for New Drug Development

Targeting Next-Generation Innovative Drugs
with Membrane Protein Stabilization Technology

Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on June 11 that it has signed a joint research agreement with Swedish biotechnology company Salipro Biotech to develop next-generation drugs.

Through this agreement, Salipro will provide Daewoong Pharmaceutical with its proprietary membrane protein stabilization technology, the Salipro (Salipro®) platform. Daewoong Pharmaceutical plans to use this technology to enhance membrane protein drug targets and accelerate the development of next-generation drugs.

Many drug candidates currently under development target "membrane proteins," which are located in the thin membrane surrounding cells. Membrane proteins are essential for vital functions such as cellular signal transduction and substance transport, and account for more than 60% of all drug targets, making them extremely important in drug development. However, their unstable structure in laboratory environments makes research challenging. The Salipro platform stabilizes these membrane proteins in a state similar to their natural cellular environment, making research and development of drug candidates significantly more efficient.

Salipro is a company with extensive experience collaborating with global pharmaceutical firms such as Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, and Sumitomo. This partnership with Daewoong Pharmaceutical marks its first collaboration with a Korean company. Through the agreement, Daewoong Pharmaceutical aims to accelerate the development of membrane protein-targeted drugs and secure a bridgehead for potential global technology exports in the future.

Jens Frauenfeld, CEO of Salipro Biotech, stated, "This collaboration with Daewoong Pharmaceutical is highly significant, as it represents Salipro's first partnership with a Korean company. The Salipro platform enables research on previously inaccessible target proteins, opening new possibilities for innovative drug development worldwide."

Park Sungsoo, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, said, "We expect that the Salipro platform will improve access to challenging membrane protein targets and accelerate drug discovery. Through our open collaboration strategy, we will continue to develop globally competitive new drugs."