Chong Kun Dang signs licensing deal for Curigin's bladder cancer gene therapy

Chong Kun Dang said it has entered into a licensing agreement with Curigin, a local gene therapy developer, for the latter's CA102, a gene therapy candidate targeting superficial bladder cancer.

Founded in 2016, Curigin has pioneered the development of siRNA technologies capable of suppressing multiple disease-causing genes simultaneously and has created a diverse pipeline that includes therapeutic agents for hepatitis viruses, circular RNA technologies, and cancer diagnostics, demonstrating a strong commitment to RNA-based therapeutic development.

The partnership grants Chong Kun Dang exclusive global rights to CA102. Current treatment options, predominantly chemotherapy and a limited selection of immunotherapies and targeted therapies, frequently result in high recurrence rates and drug resistance.

CA102 employs an innovative approach by incorporating shRNA into a specifically engineered oncolytic virus that targets cancer cells.

This gene therapy utilizes Curigin's dual-targeting RNAi technology to inhibit the mTOR and STAT3 genes, which are involved in the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells.

The dual-action strategy of CA102 aims to enhance therapeutic efficacy by reducing cancer growth and spread while also focusing on improving the safety profile by limiting effects on non-cancerous cells.

"Chong Kun Dang has opened a gene therapy research center, Gen2C, at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, which is equipped with expert personnel and excellent infrastructure for gene therapy development," a Chong Kun Dang official said. "CA102, developed with Curigin's proprietary dual-targeting shRNA production technology, will strengthen Chong Kun Dang's anti-cancer drug pipeline and provide an innovative alternative to treat bladder cancer."

A Curigin official also said, "We are pleased to announce that our gene cancer therapy based on dual-targeted RNAi technology will enter the full-scale development stage with this agreement."

The company is looking forward to successfully completing the clinical trials and providing new treatment options for patients suffering from cancer, he added.