Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- CHA Biotech, a biopharmaceutical company with South Korea's largest pipeline of stem cell therapies, concluded a deal with a local biotech startup, to support the development of a novel drug candidate for the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as atopic dermatitis using stem cell-derived exosomes.

CHA Biotech said it has signed a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with Exocobio, which develops innovative therapeutics as well as cosmetic products based on stem cell-derived exosomes. Exosomes are membrane-bound extracellular vesicles that are produced in the endosomal compartment of most eukaryotic cells.

Cha Biotech will provide a comprehensive solution across development and production, while Exocobio will use Cha Biotech's adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells to accelerate the development of EXO10. "We will provide various services so that Exocobio can commercialize new bio drugs early," said CHA Biotech CEO Oh Sang-hoon.

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic disease that has no fundamental treatment. Atopic treatments such as antihistamines, steroids and immunosuppressive drugs have various side effects. Stem cell-derived exosomes will dramatically relieve atopic dermatitis and inhibit a variety of inflammatory targets, Exocobio said, comparing the improvement of symptoms to that of a steroid drug, Prednisolone.

Exocobio said the new drug candidate can modulate the activity of various immune cells causing dermatitis, with little side effects for long-term repeated administration.