HanAll Biopharma said it has made a strategic investment in Interon Laboratories, a Boston-based startup developing new drug candidates for treating Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Based on the investment, HanAll Biopharma plans to seek opportunities to discover new materials and jointly develop new drugs using Interon's platform.
However, the company did not disclose the size of the investment, citing contractual reasons.
“Interon's innovative approach to treat brain diseases by regulating the immune system goes beyond existing research methods and gives new hope to the treatment of intractable diseases,” Hanall Biopharma CEO Park Seung-kook said. “With this investment as an opportunity, we expect various collaborations such as R&D of new drugs and discovery of new materials with Interon.”
Interon CEO Jaspaul Singh also said, “HanAll's R&D experience and expertise will help accelerate the development of Interon’s platforms.”
According to HanAll, Interon is a start-up that develops a treatment that modulates the body's neuroimmunology system to alleviate symptoms of children suffering from severe ASD.
It was co-founded in 2020 by researchers from Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Professor Huh Jun-ryeol of Harvard University is also known to have participated as a co-founder.
ASD is a cranial nerve development disorder in which emotional bonding or interaction with others is difficult.
Many patients have difficulties in social life and interpersonal relationships because their language and non-verbal expression skills are not developed compared to their growth level.
While several studies have shown that the brain and immune system are associated with the autism spectrum or depression, the exact cause is still unknown.
Interon is developing ASD and depression treatment through a neuro-immunotherapy approach. Interon is conducting two lead programs based on biopharmaceuticals and small molecule compounds in neuroimmune diseases.
Interon's new drug candidate is a new approach to alleviate symptoms by regulating the signal transduction pathway between the brain and the immune system.
HanAll stressed that when immune molecules produced in tissues around the brain interact with the brain, it can affect some brain functions, such as anxiety and decreased social skills.
Accordingly, Interon expects that the drug will help increase sociality and alleviate anxiety symptoms in patients with ASD by regulating the activity of immune molecules expressed in the brain.