NeuroBo, Dong-A ST, And ImmunoForge Unite To Tackle Obesity With Innovative Once-Monthly Treatment

NeuroBo Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology firm in the clinical stages of research dedicated to combating cardiometabolic diseases, announced a new collaborative research initiative. Partnering with Dong-A ST Co. Ltd. and ImmunoForge, the companies aim to create a long-acting, once-monthly version of DA-1726.

DA-1726 is a cutting-edge dual oxyntomodulin (OXM) analog agonist that targets both the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP1R) and the glucagon receptor (GCGR). This development will leverage ImmunoForge's Elastin-Like Polypeptide (ELP) technology to extend the drug's half-life. The financial details of the agreement have not been revealed.

Hyung Heon Kim, President and Chief Executive Officer of NeuroBo, said "The signing of this research agreement, together with our collaboration partners, Dong-A ST and ImmunoForge, is a step toward potentially developing a long-acting formulation of DA-1726 which would enhance patient compliance and ease of administration for the treatment of obesity.”

He further added,”We are hopeful that ImmunoForge's ELP platform technology may enable the formulation of DA-1726, currently in Phase 1 studies, into a once-monthly injection, allowing us to overcome the current limitations associated with changing peptides, such as DA-1726, into longer-acting forms. We look forward to working closely with both Dong-A ST and ImmunoForge to bring what could be a first-in-class, once-monthly obesity treatment to market."

Sung-Min Ahn and Kiho Chang, Co-Chief Executive Officers Of ImmunoForge, commented, "This agreement with Dong-A ST, one of the top pharmaceutical companies in Korea, and NeuroBo, reaffirms the potential of our ELP platform technology. Our patented, once-monthly, long-acting ELP platform technology has the capability to increase the half-life of a drug by up to 200 times and we look forward to exploring its application to NeuroBo's DA-1726, a highly promising approach for the treatment of obesity.”