CHA Biotech wins government backing to advance cell and gene therapy platform
Summary
CHA Biotech has secured government backing for a 3.5-year research project to advance its cell and gene therapy platforms toward clinical development, with 31.5 billion won in funding. The company was selected for a follow-up R&D project under the 2026 K-HERO Development and Support Program, led by the Ministry of Science and ICT. It will develop and commercialize CHAMS and CHAGE, with CHAGE-201 as the lead pipeline for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Key Facts
- The project is part of the 2026 K-HERO Development and Support Program, which is led by the Ministry of Science and ICT and administered by the Korea Industrial Technology Association.
- CHA Biotech said the funding will support development and commercialization of two platforms, CHAMS and CHAGE.
- CHAGE-201 is an experimental treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive disease that scars lung tissue and weakens lung function.
- The work includes establishing cell banks, good manufacturing practice processes, quality testing and characterization systems, and nonclinical safety studies for a domestic investigational new drug application.
- The company said the resulting manufacturing, quality control and clinical development infrastructure will also be used for additional candidates targeting fibrotic diseases, then neurological and autoimmune disorders.
CHA Biotech corporate identity / Courtesy of CHA Biotech
CHA Biotech has secured government backing for a three-and-a-half-year research project aimed at pushing its cell and gene therapy platforms toward clinical development, with 31.5 billion won ($22.7 million) in funding.
The biotechnology company said Tuesday that it was selected for a follow-up research and development project under the 2026 K-HERO Development and Support Program, led by the Ministry of Science and ICT and administered by the Korea Industrial Technology Association.
The program supports corporate research centers working on national strategic technologies, with the goal of developing core technologies and turning them into commercial products.
CHA Biotech will use the funding to develop and commercialize two platforms, CHAMS, a standardized source-cell platform based on mesenchymal stem cells, and CHAGE, which uses therapeutic genes to enhance cell function.
The company said it plans to combine the platforms into a development system that can be applied across a range of hard-to-treat diseases, rather than being limited to a single condition.
Its lead pipeline under the project is CHAGE-201, an experimental treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive disease in which lung tissue becomes increasingly scarred and lung function deteriorates.
CHA Biotech said it will further test CHAGE-201’s efficacy and mechanism of action while establishing the chemistry, manufacturing and controls system needed to produce clinical trial material.
The work will include establishing cell banks, good manufacturing practice processes, quality testing and characterization systems, as well as conducting nonclinical safety studies needed for a domestic investigational new drug application.
The company plans to use the resulting manufacturing, quality control and clinical development infrastructure for additional candidates, initially targeting fibrotic diseases and later neurological and autoimmune disorders.
It added that the project would help turn the company’s stem cell expertise into a cell and gene therapy platform with clinical and commercial potential.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
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