Institut Pasteur Korea developed sorbitol dehydrogenase (SORD), a biomarker that indicates the prognosis of liver cancer surgery patients, and transferred the technology to Medikina Bio Co., Ltd.
The researchers found that the higher the expression of SORD in the blood of liver resection patients, the lower the patient’s survival rate, and verified the non-clinical and clinical significance for application to the diagnostic method in collaboration with domestic hospitals and universities.
In the future, Medikina Bio Co., Ltd. plans to accelerate the development of a SORD-based liver cancer-specific prognosis prediction kit with the goal of commercialization in 2025.
Liver cancer is the second leading cause of death due to cancer in Korea as of 2020, and the 10-year survival rate for liver cancer patients is low at less than 20%, and recurrence occurs within 5 years in approximately 70% of patients who undergo liver resection. Therefore, early diagnosis and customized response and treatment for each patient based on prognosis prediction are important, but in the case of liver cancer, tissue biopsy is not possible and there is currently no technology to diagnose the prognosis of liver cancer.
Dr. Haengran Seo’s (UST professor) team at the Advanced Biomedical Research Center of Institut Pasteur Korea conducted research on the interaction between liver cancer cells and the surrounding environment and found that when SORD within liver cancer cells is secreted into the blood, it promotes the growth of liver cancer cells, leading to a poor prognosis. revealed.
In particular, Dr. Seo’s research team constructed a ‘3D multicellular liver spheroid’ containing liver cancer cells and surrounding microenvironment similar to the in vivo environment of an actual liver cancer patient and used it for research, making it impossible to observe in the existing flat liver cancer research model. We were able to explore the secretion of SORD, which did not exist.
In addition, the researchers confirmed the correlation between SORD and the growth of liver cancer cells through animal tests, and in collaboration with domestic hospitals and universities, studied the effect of SORD concentration in the blood on the 10-year survival rate of patients in domestic patients who underwent liver resection. was verified.
Medikina Bio Co., Ltd. is a research and development company that specializes in developing solutions for liver cancer treatment, such as early diagnosis and prognosis prediction kits for liver cancer based on new liver cancer-specific biomarkers.
Based on liver cancer-specific biomarkers discovered by basic-preclinical-clinical experts in the liver cancer field through research cooperation over the past 10 years, the HDC-platform (hepatocellular carcinoma Detect & Cure-platform) has been established and is capable of predicting the prognosis of liver cancer. Development and clinical trials of screening kits are underway.
Ji Young-mi, director of Institut Pasteur Korea, said, “By developing biomarkers derived through innovative research methods into prognosis prediction and early diagnosis technology through Medikina Bio’s clinical development expertise, we hope to advance customized treatment for patients and contribute to improving survival rates. “We will continue to make efforts to ensure that our research results can be used in actual medical and health settings,” he said.
Choi Woo-sung, CEO of Medikina Bio Co., Ltd., said, “We will maximize the utilization in small and medium-sized medical sites by linking the liver cancer screening kit, which has improved efficiency through miniaturization and automation, with screening equipment,” and added, “Based on comprehensive competitiveness such as high reliability and economic feasibility, “Of course, we plan to actively enter the global market.”
Meanwhile, Institut Pasteur Korea conducted this study as part of the bio and medical technology development project supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT.
Source: Pangyo Techno Valley Official Newsroom
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