Samyang Biopharmaceuticals Advances mRNA Therapy for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Using SENS Gene Delivery Platform
Key Insights
Samyang Biopharmaceuticals (search) has been selected for South Korea's National New Drug Development Project to develop an mRNA (search) therapeutic for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (search) using its proprietary SENS (search) gene delivery system.
The company aims to overcome limitations of current oral treatments that require three-times-daily dosing and cause gastrointestinal and liver side effects with long-term use.
SENS (search) technology enables selective delivery of RNA-based therapeutics to specific organs including lungs, potentially enhancing drug safety and therapeutic efficacy.
Samyang Biopharmaceuticals (search) has been selected for South Korea's National New Drug Development Project to develop a novel mRNA (search) therapeutic for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (search) (IPF) using its proprietary gene delivery platform. The company announced on December 22 that it will leverage its SENS (search) (Selectivity Enabling Nano Shell) technology to create a targeted treatment for the progressive lung disease.
Addressing Critical Unmet Medical Need
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (search) represents a significant global health challenge, affecting approximately 3 million patients worldwide. The chronic progressive lung disease occurs when soft lung tissue becomes excessively replaced by fibrous tissue such as collagen, leading to fibrosis that hardens the lungs and impairs respiratory function. The global market for IPF therapeutics reached approximately $3.29 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $6.07 billion by 2034.
Currently approved treatments consist of oral medications that inhibit the TGF-β (search) fibrotic pathway and slow disease progression. However, these therapies present substantial limitations, requiring three-times-daily dosing and potentially causing side effects including gastrointestinal discomfort and liver dysfunction with long-term use.
SENS Platform Technology
To overcome existing treatment limitations, Samyang Biopharmaceuticals (search) plans to utilize its proprietary SENS (search) gene delivery system to enhance both dosing safety and therapeutic efficacy. SENS technology enables selective delivery of next-generation RNA-based therapeutics, including small interfering RNA (siRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA (search)), to specific organs such as the liver, lungs, and spleen.
Through this project, the company will develop a nonclinical candidate by formulating a modulator that inhibits the fibrotic pathway of pulmonary fibrosis in mRNA (search) form and loading it onto SENS (search) for selective delivery to lung tissue. The Korea Drug Development Fund (search) (KDDF) will provide research and development funding for the candidate's development over the next two years.
Strategic Development Approach
A representative from Samyang Biopharmaceuticals (search) stated, "The candidate derived from this project will leverage the advantages of the SENS (search) platform, which enables selective delivery to specific tissues, to enhance the duration of efficacy and safety, ultimately focusing on improving therapeutic efficiency. We expect this opportunity to demonstrate Samyang Biopharm's global technological competitiveness in the field of gene therapeutics."
The selection represents part of the National New Drug Development Project, a cross-ministerial national R&D initiative launched to strengthen the global competitiveness of Korea's pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Since 2021, the program has supported all stages of new drug development over a ten-year period, with goals to reinforce the domestic new drug R&D ecosystem, achieve global commercialization, and generate public health outcomes.