Professors Dong-Myung Shin and Seong Who Kim’s team signed a technology transfer agreement with Pharmicell on Thursday, the 30th.

“It is expected to greatly help improve the quality of life of patients with intractable immune diseases.”

▲ Professor Dong-Myung Shin of the Department of Cell and Genetic Engineering and Professor Seong Who Kim of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center

Asan Medical Center has recently transferred its stem cell therapy technology, developed for the treatment of intractable immune diseases, to a biotechnology company.

The research team led by Professor Dong-Myung Shin of the Department of Cell and Genetic Engineering and Professor Seong Who Kim of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, signed a technology transfer agreement with Pharmicell on Thursday, the 30^th. The patented stem cell culture technology that simultaneously enhances the antioxidant capacity, engraftment rate, and stem cell characteristics of stem cells.

This stem cell culture technology enables the production of functionally enhanced mesenchymal stem cells (PFO-MSCs). Mesenchymal stem cells play an important role in tissue regeneration and immune regulation by differentiating into various tissues such as cartilage, bone, and fat. To develop PFO-MSCs, the research team utilized its proprietary small-molecule culture technology. Through this process, they improved the antioxidant capacity and engraftment rate of mesenchymal stem cells while maintaining their characteristics, all in a single step and without genetic modification.

The PFO-MSC developed by the research team is a commercial-stage adult stem cell therapy that can be directly applied in clinical settings and is recognized as a core original technology for enhancing stem cell function.

Beginning in 2021, the research team demonstrated the therapeutic potential of PFO-MSCs for graft-versus-host disease, an intractable immune disorder. In 2023, they confirmed its effectiveness in alleviating symptoms of severe asthma. Furthermore, in 2024, animal studies revealed that PFO-MSCs produced significant and long-lasting improvements, lasting more than four weeks, in underactive bladder, a refractory condition associated with diabetes.

Under the agreement, the University of Ulsan College of Medicine and Asan Medical Center granted Pharmicell exclusive rights to use the technology both domestically and internationally. The research team plans to continue follow-up and foundational applied research through non-commercial studies and investigator-initiated clinical trials (IITs).

Professor Seong Who Kim of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, said, “Patients suffering from intractable immune diseases such as underactive bladder have no definitive cure and experience great difficulties in their daily lives. We expect that this single-process multifunctional stem cell therapy technology will greatly help improve their quality of life.”

Professor Dong-Myung Shin of the Department of Cell and Genetic Engineering at the University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, said, “Our research team is currently establishing large-scale production and quality control processes to ensure that functionally enhanced mesenchymal stem cells can be immediately applied to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) production facilities for industrial use. Going forward, we plan to advance the commercialization process through sponsor-initiated clinical trials (SITs) in collaboration with Pharmicell.”

This technology development was supported by the STEAM research program of the National Research Foundation of Korea under the Ministry of Science and ICT.