SK Biopharmaceuticals and US Interon Launch Joint Research on Autism Treatment

Expanding R&D Beyond Epilepsy into the Neuroimmune Field

SK Biopharmaceuticals announced on November 3 that it had signed a joint research and development agreement with Interon, a Boston-based biotech company in the United States, on October 31 to develop a candidate treatment for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by leveraging neuroimmune system modulation.

This collaboration marks a strategic move to expand R&D beyond the existing focus on epilepsy to the neuroimmune field, serving as an important milestone in realizing the company’s ‘Next CNS’ vision.

Neuroimmunology, which is based on the interaction between the nervous and immune systems, is emerging as a next-generation therapeutic paradigm. Despite its high research complexity, it is drawing attention as a new breakthrough in the development of central nervous system (CNS) therapeutics. Through this open innovation initiative, SK Biopharmaceuticals aims to strengthen its expertise in neuroimmunology and combine it with its own R&D capabilities to lay the foundation for developing next-generation CNS treatments.

This joint research is based on an innovative neuroimmunological approach in which interleukin-17 (IL-17), secreted by immune cells, enhances the signaling pathway of IL-17 receptors in brain neurons to improve autism symptoms. The goal is to utilize SK Biopharmaceuticals’ drug development capabilities to develop novel IL-17 activator compounds.

The two companies plan to develop a first-in-class preclinical candidate for ASD by combining SK Biopharmaceuticals’ expertise in medicinal chemistry and lead optimization?acquired through the in-house development of the innovative epilepsy drug cenobamate?with Interon’s neuroimmunology specialization.

As the project is already proceeding with an initial hit molecule secured, the speed of candidate discovery and the probability of success are expected to be high. If successful, SK Biopharmaceuticals will have the exclusive right to enter into a contract for the compound.

Interon is a Boston-based biotech company founded in 2020 by Professor Heo Junryul of Harvard Medical School and Professor Gloria Choi of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The company focuses on developing small molecule therapeutics for CNS diseases by modulating the neuroimmune system. In particular, it possesses proprietary platform technology that enables rapid identification of hit molecules at the early drug discovery stage.

Lee Donghoon, CEO of SK Biopharmaceuticals, stated, “This joint research is an important milestone as SK Biopharmaceuticals establishes neuroimmunology as a new growth axis and embarks on the development of next-generation CNS therapeutics. Based on open innovation, we will accelerate our Next CNS strategy and continuously expand our therapeutic areas and pipeline in the global market.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.