Helixmith said on Thursday that it has acquired a Russian patent for a next-generation gene therapy candidate, pMUN+VM202, to treat neuropathic pain.

The investigational neuropathic pain treatment combines insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) genes. Accordingly, pMUN is a DNA sequence that can simultaneously express the heterozygous insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), which was developed while discovering genes that can create synergies through interaction with the HGF gene mounted on Engensis (VM202).

In this patent, pMUN and VM202 are simultaneously administered to demonstrate better therapeutic effects in neuropathic pain animal models than VM202 alone. According to a Helixmith representative, it is expected to be developed as a next-generation gene therapy for various types of neuropathic pain in the future.

Recently, Helixmith researchers also obtained a U.S. patent for the pMUN sequence and published in the international journal Human Gene Therapy regarding the effectiveness of its plasmid DNA-based material, NM101, in treating skeletal muscle damage models.

According to the global market research firm Maximize Market Research (MMR), the global neuropathic pain market is estimated to grow from 7.5 trillion won ($5.2 million) in 2021 to 12 trillion won in 2027.

Typical related diseases include diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, peripheral neuropathic pain caused by chemotherapy, and spinal stenosis. Consequently, the number of neuropathic pain patients is increasing as diabetes and cancer patients increase, but there is currently no cure in the market to meet patients' medical needs, said a company official.

"Based on our experience in developing diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPN) treatments in phase 3 clinical trials in the U.S., we are planning to develop treatments that can provide therapeutic benefits to a wider range of patients suffering from various types of neuropathic pain," said Helixmith CTO Yu Seung-shin.