ST Pharm, the active pharmaceutical ingredient subsidiary of Dong-A Socio Group, said on the 6th it will begin producing samples for developing infectious disease vaccines in preparation for a pandemic.
ST Pharm will start producing nonclinical test samples of a messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine candidate targeting Nipah virus, a zoonotic infectious disease.
The production is part of a commissioned project titled "Production of nonclinical samples and safety evaluation of vaccine candidates for pandemic response," which is being carried out under contract from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's National Institute of Health.
The project is a long-term initiative running for three years from 2024 to 2026, aiming to advance infectious disease vaccine candidates discovered in Korea to a commercialization-ready level and to lay the groundwork for rapid clinical entry in the future.
Nipah virus infection is a deadly zoonotic disease with potential for human-to-human transmission and has been designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pathogen requiring priority response. However, because there is no approved vaccine or treatment to date, the need for proactive research and development has been consistently raised.
ST Pharm plans to support the entire nonclinical stage through this project, including developing vaccine manufacturing processes, establishing analytical methods, and producing samples for toxicity testing.
In particular, the company's proprietary platform technology will be applied to produce mRNA vaccine samples for Nipah virus. By using SmartCap, a 5' capping technology that is a key step in mRNA vaccines, and STLNP, a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery technology, the company intends to validate its mRNA contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) capabilities.
A ST Pharm official said, "Through this project, we will systematically carry out the production of nonclinical samples for mRNA Vaccine candidates built on our platform," adding, "We will help strengthen the national vaccine development capability so we can respond quickly to any future novel pandemic."