HLB Life Sciences said it has acquired all rights for an anticancer candidate substance developed by LSK NRDO, a local drug developer.

The new anticancer substance features a mechanism that inhibits the proliferation of cancer cells by regulating signals involved in the cell cycle. The cell cycle refers to the lifespan of a cell until the parent cell divides into two daughter cells and passes on the genetic material.

Cells usually undergo cell division by repeating a cycle of four phases -- G1 phase, S phase, G2 phase, M phase. According to HLB Life Sciences, the anticancer substance introduced by the company inhibits cell division by interfering with the progress of the G2 to M phase during the cell division cycle, inhibiting the growth of cancer cells and inducing death.

The company plans to develop the candidate substance to treat various solid cancers such as lung, breast, colorectal, and pancreatic.

“We have acquired the patent, production, and sales of substances rights for the candidate in Korea and other countries, including the U.S. and Japan, and rights for technology transfer in the future,” HLB Life Sciences CEO Han Yong-hae said.

He added that the company plans to rapidly enter the clinical stage by intensively conducting research and development in the preclinical stage and making the substance into viable solid cancer treatment.