SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nov. 21, 2023 local time, ST Pharm announced 'Rapid Preparedness of Pandemic Vaccine in 100 Days using ST Pharm's own mRNA Platform Technology' at the Korea-CEPI R&D Workshop in World Bio Summit 2023, organized by Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). During the main speaker session, Joo-Sung James Yang, Ph.D., SVP Head of Biotechnology R&D at ST Pharm, addressed the strategy, which aims to develop pandemic vaccines against emerging infectious diseases within 100 days.

"mRNA vaccines can be manufactured within 70 days after the sequence identification, starting from gene synthesis, plasmid DNA production, IVT synthesis with SmartCap^? (ST Pharm's proprietary 5′-capping reagent) and encapsulation using STLNP^? (ST Pharm's own novel lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery system, followed by fill/finish by ST Pharm's sister company, Dong-A ST. If IND application for first-in-human (FIH) trial is approved within 30 days, then ST Pharm can complete its preemptive action on development of pandemic vaccine within 100 days for clinical trials," said Joo-Sung James Yang, during his presentation at the conference.

ST Pharm highlighted its mRNA platform technologies as a key success factor of '100-Day Expedite Strategy', which are proprietary 5'-capping analogs, marketed as SmartCap^?, and LNP drug delivery system, STLNP^?. ST Pharm's vision and willingness to invest in in-house platform technologies has enabled it not only to bypass intellectual property issues but also to emerge as a leader in the field, as exemplified by its inclusion in South Korea's mRNA vaccine consortium.

Also, ST PHARM has two different RNA therapeutic biotech companies in the United States, which creates synergistic effects on both CDMO business and new drug/vaccine development.

-Levatio (San Diego, USA) focused on circRNA platform technology, which paves the way for next-generation RNA therapeutics and vaccines for unmet needs.

-Vernagen (Atlanta, USA) specialized in the development of mRNA vaccines and antibody-encoding RNA (AER) platform technology for infectious diseases.

Furthermore, ST Pharm announced its commitment for technology transfer, extending the potential benefits of its mRNA platform technology to low and middle-income countries (LMIC) in collaboration with global non-profit organizations. This initiative will foster global collaboration in fight against emerging infectious diseases.