HLB Panagene said it has been recognized as a member of Cancer X, a public-private partnership aimed at conquering cancer, in recognition of its technology for molecular diagnosis of cancer using artificial genetic material.

Cancer X is spearheaded by the Moffitt Cancer Center, a prominent U.S. cancer institute, and the Digital Medicine Institute (DiME), a key driver of the Joe Biden administration's Cancer Moonshot Program. This program has the ambitious goal of diminishing cancer-related fatalities by over 50 percent within the upcoming 25 years.

Participants of the project include multinational pharmaceutical giants such as Johnson & Johnson, Takeda, and AstraZeneca.

According to HLB Panagene, it is the “only company in the world” that has developed and mass-produced PNA (peptide nucleic acid), an artificial DNA made by synthesizing peptides.

While DNA is biochemically unstable, PNA has high stability and binding power, allowing it to quickly detect and amplify even trace amounts of target gene mutations with high accuracy.

Based on PNA, the company stressed that it has the technology to precisely detect various cancer gene mutations, which it has used to develop precision diagnostic kits for lung, breast, and thyroid cancers.

The company also recently received the first locally-developed original companion diagnostics license in Korea for Leclaza, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment developed by Yuhan Corp.

"To conquer cancer, it is essential to develop effective anti-cancer drugs, as well as high-performance precision diagnostic devices that accurately detect and match various gene variants expressed differently in each patient," HLB Panagene CEO Jang In-geun. "Through our participation in the Cancer X project, we will strengthen our diagnostic business in the U.S.”