Daewoong Pharmaceutical is accelerating its research and development into anti-aging therapeutics. The company announced on the 21st that it has secured the global rights to the ERA platform technology from Turn Biotechnologies (Turn Bio), a U.S.-based biotech firm. The proprietary technology, which restores aged cells to a younger and healthier state, was acquired through Turn Bio's asset auction following its bankruptcy proceedings.
Turn Bio’s ERA platform utilizes an advanced "partial reprogramming" technology. It delivers specific reprogramming factors directly to aging cells via messenger RNA (mRNA), reversing cellular functional decline while strictly preserving the cells' original, inherent characteristics. Because it selectively targets and mitigates the degeneration of cellular function without altering cell identity, the platform is drawing significant attention as a next-generation therapeutic approach for various age-related diseases.
This asset acquisition builds directly on the research foundation established through HanAll Biopharma, a subsidiary of Daewoong. HanAll Biopharma had previously entered into a technology licensing agreement with Turn Bio to explore treatments for age-related conditions. Together, Daewoong and HanAll had also made strategic equity investments in Turn Bio to secure a foundation for long-term technical collaboration.
Daewoong Pharmaceutical intends to leverage this acquisition as a strategic turning point to systematically accelerate its drug development pipeline. By integrating Turn Bio's mRNA and delivery platforms with its own disease-specific development strategies and global commercialization capabilities, Daewoong aims to discover next-generation pipelines and bolster its international research competitiveness.
Park Sung-soo, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, stated, "Aging research has established itself as a core frontier capable of shifting the paradigm of future medicine well beyond the treatment of single diseases." Park Sung-soo added, "By securing this revolutionary platform technology, Daewoong Pharmaceutical will pioneer next-generation therapeutic strategies that target the root causes of aging-related disorders, continually sharpening our global R&D edge."
