Organoid Science Rises on News of Reduced Animal Testing in the US [Market Focus]

As of 9:20 a.m. on December 5, Organoid Science shares were trading at 43,000 won on the KOSDAQ market, up 5.39% from the previous closing price. This marks a three-day streak of gains. The rally appears to be driven by news that efforts to reduce animal testing in the United States are gaining momentum.

An organoid refers to a 'mini organ' or 'organ-like structure' created by culturing stem cells in three dimensions (3D) to mimic real organs on a smaller scale. As the term is a compound of 'organ' and 'oid' (meaning 'similar to'), it signifies that these structures partially replicate the architecture and functions of actual organs.

Earlier this year, as part of the Donald Trump administration’s policy to reduce animal research, the United States began strengthening alternative clinical technologies-such as artificial intelligence (AI)-in the drug development process instead of animal testing. In response, domestic biotech companies have also been ramping up next-generation research aligned with this trend.

According to the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization on December 4, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plans to phase out all monkey-related clinical research by the end of this year. Sam Baida, the newly appointed head of CDC initiatives, has reportedly instructed research teams to this effect. He is leading the animal research reduction initiative in line with the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” policy direction.

Meanwhile, Organoid Science has established a system to verify drug efficacy without animal testing through its organoid-based drug evaluation solution, ODYSSEY. Focusing on pipelines such as ODYSSEY-ONC (oncology), ODYSSEY-GUT (gastrointestinal), and ODYSSEY-SKIN (skin), the company has secured more than 50 contract research and manufacturing agreements, with orders continuing to increase.