In recent years, South Korea has emerged as a significant player in the global life sciences, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical industries. A group of innovative companies from this East Asian nation is making substantial strides in areas ranging from novel drug development to cutting-edge medical devices. These firms are leveraging South Korea’s robust research infrastructure, highly skilled workforce, and government support to push the boundaries of scientific discovery and therapeutic interventions. Their collective efforts span a diverse array of fields, including oncology, regenerative medicine, and bioinformatics, contributing to the advancement of global healthcare solutions and positioning South Korea as a burgeoning hub for biomedical innovation.
Astrogen Inc.
Founded in 2017 in South Korea by a paediatric neurologist, Astrogen specializes in developing small molecule-based treatments for neurological disorders. Our company specializes in clinical trials, electrophysiological assessments, evaluations using animal models of neurological diseases, and real-time blood-brain barrier permeability assessments using microdialysis. This specialization gives us a strong advantage in developing new drugs for neurological disorders.
We currently possess a library of over 700 chemical compounds through our technology that combines molecular modelling and preclinical evaluation techniques.
We have 44 employees, 80% of whom are in R&D, and our core management team consists of professionals with over 20 years of experience in drug development.
The company’s flagship pipeline, AST-001, is a first-in-class drug targeting core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. Compared to other global pharmaceutical companies’ drugs that have entered phase 3 clinical trials, AST-001 boasts higher safety, efficacy, and approval potential. Additionally, it has the advantage of being applicable from the age of 2 without any DDI issues. AST-001 demonstrated excellent efficacy and safety in the phase 2 clinical trial and is nearing the completion of phase 3, with statistical results expected in January 2025. Furthermore, AST-001 was recently designated as an orphan drug MFDS (Korean FDA), granting it 11 years of market exclusivity.
Astrogen also has a diverse pipelines targeting various intractable neurological diseases, including Rett syndrome (AST-004), Dravet syndrome (AST-008), Parkinson’s disease (AST-029), Parkinson’s disease/idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (AST-030), ADHD (AST- 031), obstructive sleep apnea (AST-032), glioblastoma (AST-035), and neurofibromatosis type 1(AST-038). Notably, AST-035, which operates on a molecular glue mechanism, has demonstrated superior efficacy, safety, stability, pharmacokinetics (PK) profile, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability compared to existing drugs. AST-030 and AST-038 have been successfully out-licensed to China.
Seeking partnerships
Astrogen is actively enhancing its research and development efforts and is seeking strong partnerships in the UAE to establish fruitful collaborations.
For more information, visit: https://astrogen.co.kr
