SCM Lifescience said Wednesday that it has registered a local patent for a pharmaceutical composition that can prevent or treat immune and inflammatory diseases, including mesenchymal stem cells stimulated by inflammation.

According to the company, the approval of the patent is significant as the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) approved the patent as a next-generation stem cell treatment technology, which has the potential of replacing existing immunosuppressants and inflammation inhibitors that occasionally cause side effects. Also, the technology allows a therapeutic agent with increased efficacy at low costs by basing its development on the mechanism of the immune disease treatment.

The patent refers to the company's research that proved mesenchymal stem cells can change into a form similar to cholinergic neurons when stimulated under a specific condition. The modified mesenchymal stem cells, in turn, secrete acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, to inhibit activated immune cells.

The company expects that future treatments based on the patent can significantly contribute to patients suffering from illnesses such as atopy, Crohn's disease, erythema, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma and psoriasis, by giving them a practical treatment option, while improving their quality of life.

SCM Lifescience aims to develop a customized treatment according to the patient's condition by researching a live type formulation for chronic diseases and a frozen type formulation of acute illnesses.

The company also plans to apply for an investigational new drug (IND) application in Japan for acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) in the first half of this year.

corea022@docdocdoc.co.kr

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