C&C New Drug Research Institute, a subsidiary of JW Pharmaceutical, announced on the 30th that its research on the development of a STAT6-targeted treatment for eosinophilic esophagitis has been selected as a project for the "2025 First National New Drug Development Project."
The National New Drug Development Project is a cross-ministerial national R&D initiative launched to strengthen the global competitiveness of the domestic pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Since 2021, it has supported all stages of new drug development over a ten-year period, with the goals of reinforcing the domestic new drug R&D ecosystem, generating globally practical results, and achieving public interest outcomes in the healthcare sector.
Through this project, C&C New Drug Research Institute will receive research funding for 16 months to optimize a lead compound that directly inhibits the STAT6 protein and to advance research with the goal of entering the preclinical stage for development as an oral small molecule therapeutic.
Eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by excessive type 2 (Th2) immune responses in the esophagus and is classified as a rare disease with limited treatment options. In particular, there is significant unmet medical need for new mechanism-targeted therapies due to low medication adherence to steroids and biologics, as well as issues with relapse and resistance.
STAT6 is a key regulator of type 2 inflammatory responses triggered by IL-4/IL-13 stimulation and is a major factor controlling the expression of eotaxin protein, which induces eosinophil infiltration in the esophagus. C&C New Drug Research Institute has secured a lead compound that selectively and directly inhibits the STAT6 protein and has confirmed reduced Th2 gene expression and anti-inflammatory effects through cellular and animal experiments.
This research is based on a lead compound discovered using JW's artificial intelligence (AI)-powered integrated new drug R&D platform, JWave. JWave is JW's proprietary web-based platform that utilizes AI for the entire new drug research cycle, from drug discovery to lead optimization.
Through this research, C&C New Drug Research Institute aims to optimize the structure of candidate compounds for preclinical entry and secure foundational data on pharmacokinetics and toxicity testing. In addition, the institute will consider expanding indications to other Th2-driven inflammatory immune diseases, such as atopic dermatitis and asthma, beyond eosinophilic esophagitis.
A representative from C&C New Drug Research Institute stated, "STAT6 is a key regulator of type 2 inflammatory responses, and this lead compound is expected to become a new treatment option for various immune diseases, including rare diseases." The representative added, "We will continue to lead the market for therapies with high unmet needs by pursuing innovative new drug research using our AI-based platform."
Meanwhile, C&C New Drug Research Institute is the first Korea-Japan joint venture biotech company in Korea, established in 1992 by JW Pharmaceutical and Chugai Pharmaceutical, a member of the Roche Group. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of JW Pharmaceutical in 2020. Since 2006, C&C New Drug Research Institute has conducted its own research projects and is discovering first-in-class new drug candidates through an R&D platform that incorporates AI and deep learning technologies. The institute currently has eight new drug pipelines targeting oncology and immune diseases.
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