Dr. John Isaacs from Newcastle University in the United Kingdom speaks on a next-generation rheumatoid arthritis and cancer therapy, Penetrium, during a symposium in Seoul on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Hyundai ADM Bio
SEOUL, Jan. 27 (UPI) — South Korea’s Hyundai ADM Bio announced plans to launch global clinical trials of its new drug, Penetrium, for rheumatoid arthritis and prostate cancer during a symposium held in Seoul on Tuesday.
Citing promising preclinical results, the biopharmaceutical company said that it aims to begin the clinical tests in the near future.
“In the field of rheumatoid arthritis, we expect to enter clinical trials simultaneously in South Korea and the United States,” Hyundai ADM Bio CEO Cho Won-dong said. “For prostate cancer, we have already received approval from the Korean authorities.”
Dankook University professor Choy Jin-ho, who played a key role in the development of Penetrium, expressed hope that the new-concept drug could bring about a paradigm shift in the fight against multiple diseases, including other types of tumors in addition to prostate cancers.
“A significant portion of anticancer drug resistance is not caused by genetic mutations in cancer cells themselves, but rather by the formation of stroma around them during treatment, which acts like a fortress wall blocking drug penetration,” he said.
Choy said Penetrium was designed to target the “fortress wall,” or the supportive structure around cancer cells, so that drugs could be delivered more effectively.
The symposium brought together experts at home and abroad. Among them were Dr. John Isaacs, professor clinical rheumatology at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, and Dr. Frederick Millard, a professor of medicine at UC San Diego Health.
Isaacs is one of the leading experts on rheumatoid arthritis, while Millard is known for his contributions to prostate cancer research.
Noting that conventional rheumatoid arthritis treatments often involved immune suppression and significant side effects, Isaacs praised Hyundai ADM Bio’s approach of controlling only the metabolism of pathological cells without suppressing the immune system.
Millard expressed optimism about the new strategy breaking down the protective barriers that shield cancerous cells, instead of targeting them for direct destruction.
The share price of Hyundai ADM Bio jumped 13.56% on the Seoul bourse on Wednesday. Its parent company, Hyundai Bioscience, surged by the daily limit of 30%.