Asan Medical Center Transfers 'Stem Cell Technology' for Intractable Immune Disease Treatment to Pharmicell

Professors Dongmyung Shin and Seunghoo Kim's Team:
"Expected to Improve Patients' Quality of Life"

Asan Medical Center in Seoul has transferred its stem cell therapy technology, developed for the treatment of intractable immune diseases, to a biotechnology company.

Professor Dongmyung Shin, Department of Cell and Genetics, Ulsan University College of Medicine, Seoul Asan Medical Center (left), and Professor Seunghoo Kim, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Seoul Asan Medical Center

The research team led by Professor Dongmyung Shin of the Department of Cell and Genetic Engineering and Professor Seunghoo Kim of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Ulsan University College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, announced on November 6 that they have signed a contract to transfer their patented stem cell culture technology to Pharmicell Co., Ltd. This technology simultaneously enhances the antioxidant capacity, engraftment rate, and stem cell characteristics of stem cells.

This stem cell culture technology enables the production of functionally enhanced mesenchymal stem cells (hereafter referred to as PFO-MSCs). Mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into various tissues such as cartilage, bone, and fat, playing a crucial role in tissue regeneration and immune regulation. To develop PFO-MSCs, the research team utilized their proprietary optimal small molecule compound culture technology, which allows for the enhancement of antioxidant capacity and engraftment rate in a single process without genetic modification, while maintaining the characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells.

The PFO-MSCs developed by the research team are commercial-grade adult stem cell therapeutics that can be immediately applied in clinical settings, and are regarded as a core foundational technology for enhancing stem cell function.

Beginning in 2021, the research team demonstrated the therapeutic potential of PFO-MSCs for graft-versus-host disease, an intractable immune disorder. In 2023, they identified the efficacy of PFO-MSCs in improving symptoms of intractable asthma. Last year, they also revealed through animal experiments that PFO-MSCs showed significant symptom improvement and sustained therapeutic effects for over four weeks in underactive bladder, a refractory condition associated with diabetes.

Under this contract, Ulsan University College of Medicine and Asan Medical Center have granted Pharmicell exclusive rights to use the technology both domestically and internationally. The research team also plans to continue follow-up and basic applied research in the form of non-commercial studies and investigator-initiated trials (IIT).

Professor Seunghoo Kim stated, "Patients suffering from intractable immune diseases such as underactive bladder face significant challenges in daily life due to the lack of a cure. We expect that this multifunctional stem cell therapy technology, which can be produced through a single process, will greatly help improve patients' quality of life."

Professor Dongmyung Shin added, "We are currently establishing mass production and quality control processes so that functionally enhanced mesenchymal stem cells can be immediately applied to external GMP manufacturing facilities for industrial use. Moving forward, we will work with Pharmicell to further commercialize the technology through sponsor-initiated trials (SIT)."

This technology development was supported by the 'STEAM' research program of the National Research Foundation of Korea under the Ministry of Science and ICT.