TiumBio comes up with new R&D strategy amid sluggish technology transfer

TiumBio, a company that develops treatments for rare and complicated diseases, has introduced a new R&D strategy called “Smart Biologics,” drawing the market’s attention.

The company explained that it is a method that maximizes the mechanism of existing therapeutic drugs while adding specific substances to increase treatments’ effectiveness and efficiency.

“A typical example is the addition of 'transferrin' (an iron-carrying protein) to an existing blood clotting factor 7 treatment to develop it into a long-lasting treatment,” a TiumBio official said. The company is developing “TU7710” as a long-acting treatment with a longer half-life than Novo Nordisk's “Novo Seven.”

“We have been conducting various studies in the non-clinical phase, and now it is important to set the focus and direction of our R&D strategy in the clinical phase,” the official said, requesting anonymity for business reasons. “We believe that the term 'smart biologics' is an effective way to describe this strategy.”

On May 5, TiumBio announced its new pipeline, “NBX005,” as another example of smart biologics. On the same day, TiumBio announced that it had filed a patent application for NBX005.

The patent, titled “Anti-NE Antibodies and Compositions for Preventing or Treating Diseases Associated with NE Overactivity,” covers antibodies that target Neutrophil Elastase (NE), which is overactivated by external stimuli, such as infections or smoking.

NE is a proteolytic enzyme secreted by neutrophils that is essential to infection defense. When overactivated, however, it can damage lung tissue and contribute to various lung diseases. Conditions associated with NE overactivity include bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cystic fibrosis.

Utilizing the mechanism of action of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (A1ATD), TiumBio plans to develop NBX005 as a first-in-class antibody treatment for respiratory diseases caused by NE overactivity. However, the timing of clinical entry and specific indications have yet to be finalized.

“NBX005 is an innovative new drug project in line with TiumBio's R&D strategy of 'Smart Biologics,'” TiumBio CEO Kim Hun-taek said. “Following the hemophilia treatment Aptila and TU7710, we will continue to develop biological drugs with similar mechanisms to existing therapies but with new ways to increase therapeutic effects.”