■Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on the 20th that it will launch its ring-shaped blood pressure monitor 'CART ON' based on artificial intelligence (AI). CART ON is a new product that can be linked to the smart patient monitoring system 'thynC' and is scheduled for formal release in September. CART ON is a ring-type medical device that can be easily worn on a finger. Its feature is that it can measure activity blood pressure continuously without a cuff or separate measuring equipment. It can precisely track major abnormal blood pressure patterns such as nocturnal hypertension, morning hypertension, and nocturnal non-dipping, which are difficult to detect with traditional methods. The existing thynC system could only measure four biological signals: pulse, respiration, body temperature, and oxygen saturation, but with the integration of CART ON, blood pressure can now be monitored as well.
■Curocell announced on the 20th that it presented the final results of its Phase 2 clinical trial for its CD19-targeted CAR-T treatment 'Anbalcell' at the 18th International Conference on Lymphoma (ICML 2025) held in Lugano, Switzerland. In a study involving 79 patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL), Anbalcell demonstrated a safety and efficacy evaluation, with 75.3% (55 patients) achieving an objective response rate (ORR) and 67.1% (53 patients) achieving complete remission (CR). The median follow-up period was 8.5 months, and the long-term follow-up results showed progression-free survival (PFS) rates of 41.1% and 35.2% at 12 and 18 months, respectively, while overall survival (OS) rates were 66.6% and 57.3%. The median progression-free survival (mPFS) was confirmed at 6.0 months, which is double the mPFS (2.9 months) observed in the Kymriah clinical trial. The safety indicators also showed excellent levels. Curocell is currently undergoing the product approval review with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for Anbalcell.
■Moderna Korea announced on the 20th that Robert Paris, vice president in charge of infectious disease treatments at Moderna, presented their strategy for addressing infectious diseases and latent viruses based on mRNA technology at the 'Global Vaccine Forum'. In his presentation, Vice President Paris focused on the development status of vaccine candidates for congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) among Moderna's development programs for latent virus infections. He noted that "Moderna is focusing on latent viruses that have been overlooked globally and is intensively pursuing research to address unmet medical needs for which preventive vaccines do not exist."
■GC Biopharma announced on the 20th that it presented its 'mRNA vaccine development strategy' at the 'Global Vaccine Forum'. The forum was co-hosted by the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and EuBiologics. GC Biopharma has been intensifying its research on mRNA/Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) platforms since 2019, establishing the entire process from cell line development to mRNA synthesis, LNP formulation, final product production, and quality analysis. It is the first among domestic corporations to internalize the entire process of mRNA pharmaceuticals. Specifically, during the development phase, they are utilizing their own AI technology to optimize the mRNA/LNP structure. The company stated that through AI-based mRNA structural design, they significantly increased its expression rate. A higher expression rate can help reduce the dosage of the drug, thereby assisting in toxicity reduction and enhancing safety.
■Celltrion announced on the 20th that it conducted over 150 meetings during the '2025 Bio International Convention (BioUSA)', the world's largest bio exhibition, held in Boston from the 16th to the 19th (local time). The company explained that it focused on securing potential partnership collaborations to further enhance its pipelines in drug development, particularly in antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), multi-antibodies, antibody drugs, and peptides, which are the core tasks for this year. Open innovation discussions to find promising technologies related to drug development were also held. Celltrion plans to closely review the meetings conducted at BioUSA to identify potential partners with growth potential and capabilities.
■Dong-A ST announced on the 20th that it unveiled its remote patient monitoring platform 'HiCardi+' at the 'SOCESP 2025' cardiology conference held in São Paulo, Brazil, from the 19th to the 21st (local time), marking its entry into the Brazilian market. The company operated a joint booth with its Brazilian partner CARDIO WEB at SOCESP 2025, demonstrating and promoting 'HiCardi+' and 'Live Studio' to local cardiac specialists. Dong-A ST signed an exclusive sales contract for HiCardi with CARDIO WEB last year and received product usage approval from the National Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) in Brazil in February.
■Coreline Soft announced on the 20th that it has been selected as the final implementing organization for the 'AI-based medical system digital transformation support project' led by the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA). This project has a total project cost of 2.32 billion won over two years. The AI-based medical system digital transformation support project aims to implement AI-based lung cancer screening at six medical centers in the Chungcheong region, targeting 6,000 individuals in the first year and 10,000 by 2026. The project aims to standardize the protocol by reflecting AI reading results in clinical decision-making. The company will establish the first '4-in-1' chest AI diagnostic platform in a public medical center as part of this project. The AI platform is designed to simultaneously detect lung cancer nodules/masses, coronary artery calcification (CAC), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other structural abnormalities with a single low-dose chest CT scan, significantly improving reading speed and diagnostic accuracy.
■STCube announced on the 20th that it has initiated the first patient dosing of the combination therapy with the anti-BTN1A1 immune checkpoint inhibitor 'Nelmastobat' in metastatic and recurrent colorectal cancer patients. This clinical trial targets patients who have shown resistance or intolerance to existing chemotherapy treatment and evaluates the potential of BTN1A1-targeted immunotherapy, particularly in MSS (microsatellite stable) colorectal cancer, which had limited responses to existing immunotherapy. In the Phase 1b trial, the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) for the combination therapy will be explored, and safety, pharmacokinetics, and initial efficacy will be evaluated. The subsequent Phase 2 study will selectively enroll patients with high BTN1A1 expression to conduct a more precise efficacy evaluation.
■SillaJen announced on the 20th that it has applied for approval to modify its clinical trial plan (IND) to combine its anticancer agent BAL0891 with the global pharmaceutical company BeiGene's immune checkpoint inhibitor Tislelizumab. The company contracted with BeiGene in January to conduct a combination clinical trial in Korea and the United States, using Tislelizumab at no cost. BAL0891 is a first-in-class mitosis checkpoint inhibitor (MCI) that SillaJen introduced from Switzerland's Vaxil Bio. It is currently undergoing a Phase 1 trial to assess safety and maximum tolerated dose in solid tumor patients, with a recent additional study involving patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) approved in the U.S. and Korea.
■CHA Biotech's subsidiary CHA Vaccine announced on the 20th that it received the clinical study report (CSR) for the Phase 2b clinical trial of its chronic hepatitis B treatment vaccine candidate 'CVI-HBV-002'. The company received IND approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for CVI-HBV-002's domestic Phase 2b trial in 2019. The trial involved 153 chronic hepatitis B patients receiving antiviral treatment (Tenofovir), divided into two groups: the CVI-HBV-002 group and a control group, with follow-up for 48 weeks. Analysis of the primary efficacy evaluation parameter, the average change in HBsAg (hepatitis B surface antigen) levels, showed a reduction in HBsAg levels in the CVI-HBV-002 group, but no statistically significant difference was observed compared to the placebo group. HBsAg is a key indicator of hepatitis B infection, and if not detected in serum for more than six months, it is considered 'functional cure.'
■Algenomics, a gene therapy development company based on ribonucleic acid (RNA), announced on the 20th that its anti-cancer gene therapy 'RZ-001' has been finally selected as a supported project at the clinical stage for the '2025 National New Drug Development Project' conducted by the National New Drug Development Consortium, and a contract has been signed. With this project selection, the company will receive research and development funding for the clinical trial of the anti-cancer gene therapy 'RZ-001' targeting glioblastoma over the next two years. RZ-001 is a next-generation gene therapy that targets and cleaves the telomerase (hTERT) mRNA expressed specifically in cancer cells and replaces it with therapeutic RNA to induce cancer cell death. RZ-001 is currently undergoing a Phase 1 clinical trial targeting glioblastoma patients in Korea and has received IND approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
■Seoul Bio Hub announced on the 20th that ten Seoul-based bio startups that participated in 'BIO USA 2025' held in Boston received high interest while actively engaging in strategic discussions with local partners. In collaboration with Invest Seoul, Seoul Bio Hub selected ten promising companies in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and digital healthcare sectors earlier this year and began preparations for participation in BIO USA 2025. The ten companies participating in BIO USA 2025 include Galaxy, MediMap Bio, VSPARM Tech, CellLab Med, Selkie AI, ASTROGEN, Avis, Excellens, Cureverse, and PROTEINA.
■ODIEN, a digital healthcare startup, announced on the 20th that it has been selected for the '2025 Biohealth Research and Development Project' hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. This project has a total scale of 4.95 billion won and will be conducted over a period of approximately 4 years and 9 months from the second half of 2025 to 2029. The research will be co-led by Meditech company ANSE and ODIEN, along with Kyung Hee University Medical Center and Korea University Guro Hospital, to jointly develop the AI-based traumatic patient vital sign monitoring and early warning system 'BiCON'. BiCON will analyze patient vital data in real time using AI to detect sudden vital changes or anomalies early, immediately alerting medical personnel to enable quicker responses with a smart healthcare solution.