OliX launches mCureX for mRNA vaccines

OliX launches mCureX for mRNA vaccines

OliX Pharmaceuticals spins out new subsidiary for developing mRNA vaccines and therapeutics
| 2 min read
Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00

SUWON, South Korea—OliX Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a developer of RNAi therapeutics, has announced the establishment of mCureX Therapeutics, Inc., which was created to focus on research and development of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines and therapeutics.

mCureX, which will be based in South Korea, plans to initially focus on developing mRNA-based vaccines for human diseases, including COVID-19. The company also wants to create vaccines for animal diseases as well.

“We launched mCureX to address a number of health crises, including the global public health crisis of COVID-19, leveraging our expertise in RNA-based drug discovery and development. mRNA represents a rapidly advancing and nimble platform that complements our existing RNAi drug development platform, as we develop therapeutics and vaccines for urgent and unmet medical needs in Korea and beyond,” stated Dr. Dong Ki Lee, founder and CEO of OliX Pharmaceuticals.

Dr. Dong Won Shin has become chief technology officer of mCureX, and he will also oversee mCureX’s R&D department. Shin has over 20 years of experience in mRNA and oligonucleotide chemistry, and served most recently as director of oligonucleotide chemistry at OliX Pharmaceuticals, as well as senior staff scientist at TriLink BioTechnologies. He developed the foundational technology of mRNA 5’-capping, which has been used in the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

OliX has also announced the addition of Dr. Anton McCaffrey to mCureX’s scientific advisory board. He will provide guidance on the company’s research and development strategy, as well as its emerging pipeline. McCaffrey has over two decades of experience in oligonucleotide therapeutic research and development, and previously served as senior director of R&D biology at TriLink BioTechnologies, and as assistant professor at the University of Iowa.

In December, OliX Pharmaceuticals completed a capital funding round of 41.5 billion won (≈ $37.2 million) to support the company’s U.S. expansion, and to advance its pipeline globally. The funding is earmarked for construction of an RNA synthesis GMP facility at OliX’s San Diego location, which will initially produce investigational therapeutics for in-house clinical testing. The facility also has the potential for manufacturing commercial RNAi therapeutics in the future. 

The investment will provide R&D and operating funds for advancement of the company’s core pipeline, including OLX101A for hypertrophic scars, OLX301A for age-related macular degeneration, and OLX301D for subretinal fibrosis. As well, the funding will be used for advancing the company’s GalNAc-based liver therapeutic pipeline.

About the Author

Related Topics

Loading Next Article...
Loading Next Article...
Subscribe to Newsletter

Subscribe to our eNewsletters

Stay connected with all of the latest from Drug Discovery News.

Subscribe

Sponsored

Reliable fluid biomarkers strategies for clinical neuroscience research

Reliable fluid biomarkers strategies for clinical neuroscience research

Explore how validated fluid biomarker assays advance clinical research for neurological diseases.
A group of blue capsules is scattered on a bright yellow surface, with one capsule opened to reveal white powder inside.

Understanding drug impurities: types, sources, and analytical strategies

Unseen and often unexpected, drug impurities can slip in at every drug development stage, making their detection and control essential.
Laboratorian with a white coat and blue gloves pipettes green liquid into a beaker with multicolored liquids in beakers and tubes in the blue-tinged, sterile laboratory background.

Discovering cutting-edge nitrosamine analysis in pharmaceuticals

New tools help researchers detect and manage harmful nitrosamine impurities in drugs such as monoclonal antibodies.
Drug Discovery News March 2025 Issue
Latest IssueVolume 21 • Issue 1 • March 2025

March 2025

March 2025 Issue

Explore this issue