Chabiotech tapped for government project to develop peritoneal fibrosis treatment

Chabiotech is partnering with Ewha Womans University, with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT, to develop a treatment for peritoneal fibrosis — a serious intractable disease for which no cure currently exists.

Chabiotech announced Monday that its project, "Development of an Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Treatment for Peritoneal Fibrosis," has been selected for the ministry's "Innovative Postdoctoral Industry-Academia Linkage Project" support program.

Under the selection, Chabiotech and Ewha Womans University will conduct joint research over two years, backed by 235 million won ($163,000) in government funding, covering everything from candidate identification to preclinical trials and commercial process development.

Peritoneal fibrosis is a life-threatening complication in which the peritoneum hardens and loses its dialysis function in patients with chronic renal failure who undergo long-term peritoneal dialysis. Only symptomatic treatments exist in clinical practice today, with no cure available, making it one of the most prominent unmet medical needs among intractable diseases.

The two sides aim to develop a first-in-class autologous cell therapy through the research. Professor Kang Deok-hee's nephrology team at Ewha Womans University will advance the core technology for mesenchymal stem cells derived from peritoneal dialysate and establish standardized analytical methods. Chabiotech will draw on its cell culture and process development (CMC) capabilities to build a GMP-compliant mass-production process, complete preclinical work, and lay the groundwork for an investigational new drug (IND) application.

Mesenchymal stem cells extracted from a patient's own tissue carry a low risk of immune rejection and are expected to suppress the progression of peritoneal fibrosis, thanks to their homing effect — the ability to migrate toward damaged tissue — as well as their anti-inflammatory and tissue-regeneration properties.

The industry-academia model combines the university's foundational research with the company's mass-production CMC infrastructure. It offers an efficient research and development strategy for raising drug development success rates and shortening the path to preclinical entry in high-unmet-need intractable disease areas.

"This selection recognizes the excellence of the stem cell R&D capabilities and commercialization infrastructure Chabiotech has built," said Kye Min-jung, executive director of Chabiotech's TPP team. "We will work closely with the Ewha Womans University research team to lay the foundation for an innovative new drug that can offer fresh hope to patients with peritoneal fibrosis."