A domestic vaccine development company, NA Vaccine Institute, has joined hands with Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) to develop immuno-oncology drugs.

On the 7th, the company announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Harvard University and MGH to develop immuno-oncology drugs.

Professor Ralph Weissleider of Harvard Medical School and MGH visited Korea for the signing ceremony. Dr. Weissleder is a world-renowned expert in molecular imaging, nanotechnology, and cancer diagnostics. He is the Director of the Center for Systems Biology at MGH and the Director of the Center for Systems Biology at Harvard University. He is a clinical professor of interventional radiology at MGH, Dana-Farber, and Harvard Cancer Center.

The researchers combined Nexavant, an immune-boosting drug developed by NA Vaccine Institute, with a novel nanoparticle developed by Weissleider's team and found strong anti-cancer effects in several cancer types.

The combination of NAVI's immune-boosting technology and Prof. Weisleder's advanced nanotechnology is expected to develop innovative cancer treatments. The two organizations plan to collaborate on clinical trials. The collaboration between the two organizations is expected to overcome the limitations of immuno-oncology drugs with limited response rates.

“By jointly developing an immuno-oncology treatment based on Nexavant and new nanotechnology, we can take a step forward in the development of anti-cancer drugs for patients who do not respond to existing immune checkpoint inhibitors,” said Kim Dong-ho, CEO of NA Vaccine Institute.

Jihyun Lee Reporter bluesky@hankyung.com