Prestige BioPharma, a Singapore-based pharmaceutical company specializing in antibody biopharmaceuticals, said on Tuesday that it joined the Cancer Moonshot Project promoted by U.S. President Joe Biden. 

This is the first time a Kospi-listed company and antibody drug developer has joined the Cancer Moonshot project. 

The project is led by CancerX, an organization established by the Moffitt Cancer Center which is a cancer research institute in the U.S., and the Digital Medicine Society(DiMe).

CancerX selected Prestige Biopharma as a member as its strategy to develop a pancreatic cancer treatment ecosystem by uniquely targeting the PAUF protein factor which aligned with the goals of the Cancer Moonshot Project.  In particular, President Joe Biden has shown a strong commitment to realizing the goals, stemming from his involvement in the project as vice president during the Obama administration in 2016

Accordingly, Prestige Biopharma will conduct various studies to revolutionize the treatment paradigm for pancreatic cancer, including diagnosis of pancreatic cancer using blood PAUF levels, treatment with anti-PAUF (PBP1510), and eventually anti-PAUF therapy for the prevention of pancreatic cancer. The membership will also enable Prestige Biopharma to build partnerships in the U.S.

In particular, Prestige Biopharma's strategy is to use its participation in the project as an opportunity to aggressively promote the rapid commercialization of the world's first diagnostic kit for early detection of pancreatic cancer. 

The Cancer Moonshot Project aims to prevent cancer, detect cancer early, develop effective treatments, eliminate inequities, provide optimal care, engage all stakeholders, maximize data, and optimize the workforce.  Key members of the project include global pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Genentech, AstraZeneca, NCI, AWS, and Intel, as well as cancer specialty organizations and digital healthcare companies. 

"Joining CancerX as a member of the Cancer Moonshot Project will ensure that our core pipeline, the PAUF-based pancreatic cancer treatment, is well-supported in the U.S.," said Prestige Biopharma CEO Park So-yeon. "We look forward to rapid commercialization of our pancreatic cancer antibody drug PBP1510, which was granted FDA Fast Track designation in March, and to new opportunities to seek technical and business partnerships for our other drug pipeline, including PBP1710 for solid tumors."