GC Labcell said Tuesday that it recorded 13.2 billion won ($11.7 million) in sales in the second quarter of this year, a 10.4 percent increase from the same period of 2017.

The company also registered 980 million won in operating profit in the same period, a drastic 75.6 percent increase from a year ago, while recording 937 million won in net profit, a 50.6 percent increase.

“While all of the company’s businesses are on track, sales for sample screening service, which is GC Labcell’s largest business, increased 8.2 percent over the same period last year, contributing to earnings improvement,” the company said. “Although we increased its research and development fund by 19.9 percent with regards to MG4101, profitability improved as sales productivity increased."

The company has recently entered phase 2 clinical trial for MG4101, a liver cancer treatment using natural killer cells. According to GC Labcell, the substance is currently the leading natural killer cell treatment preparing for commercialization.

“Based on stable earnings, we plan to concentrate our efforts on developing and commercializing cell therapy products,” a company official said.