Institut Pasteur Korea and SML Biopharm Partner to Develop Treatments for High-Risk Infectious Diseases
[Dailypharm=Chajihyeon reporter] Institut Pasteur Korea announced on May 22 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with SML Biopharm to collaborate on developing treatments for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) and advancing mRNA-based technologies.
With no approved vaccines or treatments currently available for SFTS, the two organizations said they will explore new therapeutic approaches by leveraging their respective proprietary mRNA technology platforms, pursuing joint R&D in both therapeutics and vaccines.
Institut Pasteur Korea has been conducting foundational drug discovery research for SFTS, including pathogen characterization and cell- and small animal-based studies. The institute is also working on vaccine development using novel mRNA technologies and has built a full-cycle vaccine R&D collaboration network with more than 10 institutes within the Pasteur Network, a global infectious disease consortium, including facilities in France, Brazil, Senegal, and Vietnam.
SML Biopharm is developing vaccines and therapeutics built on its differentiated mRNA design technology, which is engineered for enhanced in vivo stability and expression efficiency, as well as an LNP delivery system that reduces toxicity while improving delivery performance. The company is currently conducting preclinical studies on an mRNA-based antibody therapy for SFTS with support from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, and the National Institute of Toxicological Sciences.
"This collaboration will generate synergies to accelerate SFTS treatment development and help concretize research cooperation around mRNA-based technologies," said Institut Pasteur Korea Director Jang Seung-ki. "We will continue to support research infrastructure that facilitates therapeutic and vaccine development across industry, academia, and research institutions by expanding the use of open labs essential to infectious disease research."
SML Biopharm CEO Nam Jae-hwan said the partnership would "further accelerate the development of innovative treatments addressing unmet needs in high-risk diseases like SFTS," adding that the company aims to "deliver tangible outcomes contributing to national health security through close collaboration with leading research institutions."
