CKD Bio said Thursday it signed a contract manufacturing organization (CMO) deal with EnhancedBio to produce ionizable lipids, a key substance in EN-LNP technology.

EN-LNP is a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform to deliver gene therapy materials, including vaccines and treatments to cells. The technology was developed by the research team of professor Lee Hyuk-jin at Ehwa Womans University College of Pharmacy and licensed out to EnhancedBio.

Ionizable lipids are key in the EN-LNP technology. They can be applied to various areas, including mRNA, siRNA, and gene-editing technology CRISPR. In addition, ionizable lipids can be delivered to specific target cells.

Under the agreement, CKD Bio will exclusively produce and supply ionizable lipids as pharmaceutical raw materials for 10 years. In addition, EnhanceBio will utilize CKD Bio’s ionizable lipids to develop a siRNA anticancer drug.

CKD Bio CEO Lee Jeong-jin said the importance of LNP platform technology had been confirmed through Covid-19 mRNA vaccines, and it is increasingly used in broader areas.

“It is meaningful that the latest agreement helped CKD Bio to enter the gene therapy market for the first time,” he said.

EnhancedBio CEO Kim Hong-joong said the CMO agreement helped secure quality ionizable lipids produced by CKD Bio. “With close collaboration, we will speed up R&D and commercialization of the investigational anticancer drug.”