GC Biopharma said on the 26th that it has released a series of key research results on a "next-generation mRNA-LNP platform for innovative drug development" at domestic and international conferences, including the 2025 KSGCT annual meeting held this month. mRNA-LNP technology places mRNA into an LNP "carrier" to deliver it to cells in the body and is regarded as a core platform for developing next-generation vaccines and therapeutics.
The company said it succeeded in greatly increasing the amount of protein produced by mRNA and the duration of its expression by applying its own UTR (untranslated region) patents and AI-based codon optimization technology. UTRs are segments attached to both ends of mRNA that regulate the stability and efficiency of protein production. A codon is a three-base combination that instructs "which amino acid to insert" when making a protein.
The independently built LNP (lipid nanoparticle) platform increased the ability to accurately deliver drugs to specific cells while reducing toxicity, it said. LNPs are "lipid (fat) capsule" structures that protect mRNA in the body and safely transport it to target cells.
GC Biopharma is expanding the scope of research applications based on this platform to infectious disease vaccines such as COVID-19 and influenza, cancer vaccines, rare disease therapeutics, gene editing, and cell therapies such as CAR-T.
In particular, the cancer vaccine research produced meaningful results. It induced a stronger antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell response than the existing benchmark LNP, and in animal model experiments significantly reduced tumor size. CD8+ T cells are key immune cells that directly attack and kill cancer cells.
In addition, the CAR-T cell therapy candidate developed with its own mRNA technology removed up to 99% of B cells in ex vivo experiments. The B-cell depletion rate is a key indicator for assessing the anticancer effect of CAR-T, and how precisely abnormal B cells are eliminated is directly tied to therapeutic efficacy.
Ma Seong-hun, Deputy Minister of GC Biopharma MDD (Medicine Discovery & Development), said, "The mRNA-LNP platform is expanding beyond vaccines into various therapeutic areas," and "we will continue to develop innovative therapeutics based on our accumulated research results."