HLB Life Science R&D Selected for Fifth National Project This Year... Launches Next-Generation Hemp Drug Development
HLB Life Science R&D has been selected for its fifth national research project in the first half of this year.
On July 6, HLB Life Science R&D announced that it has been chosen as a joint participating institution for the "Gyeongbuk Industrial Hemp Regulatory Free Zone" project designated by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Office for Government Policy Coordination. The company will promote research into the development of next-generation pharmaceuticals based on minor cannabinoids.
In addition to HLB Life Science R&D, the project will be jointly conducted by companies such as NeokenBio, Apac, Enviderpharm, Topolab, and INGR. Over the next four years, a total of 29.6 billion won will be invested to establish an end-to-end research and development system in collaboration with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), the Gyeongbuk Institute for Bio Industry, and others, covering the entire cycle from hemp cultivation and raw material production to non-clinical research and commercialization.
The core of this project is to expand the industrial hemp validation scope, which has previously focused on cannabidiol (CBD), to include "minor cannabinoids" such as cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), and cannabinol (CBN). Minor cannabinoids exist in extremely small amounts in hemp and are mostly non-psychoactive components. They have been reported to have a range of physiological activities, including anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and immunomodulatory effects, and their potential use in the development of medical hemp-based pharmaceuticals is being explored.
HLB Life Science R&D will conduct the discovery of candidate substances based on "minor cannabinoids" and carry out full-cycle non-clinical research as part of this project. The company plans to focus on identifying indications, evaluating efficacy in cells and animals, conducting pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) analyses, and assessing safety, with the goal of securing new drug candidates that can advance to clinical trials.
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A representative from HLB Life Science R&D stated, "Participation in this regulatory free zone project is a significant starting point for establishing a domestic ecosystem for new drug development based on minor cannabinoids. We will leverage our accumulated non-clinical research capabilities to secure competitive candidate substances and highly reliable data, and we will strive to enable future technology transfer and global joint development."
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