바이오스펙테이터

by Jongwon Jang

Synovizen, a new drug development company, will develop a degenerative arthritis drug based on Sialyllactose, a colostrum ingredient. Synovizen was founded as a subsidiary of a bio-startup builder, NewFlight.

Synovizen recently announced on June 3 that it has introduced from Ajou University ‘the technology of developing a Sialyllactose-based therapeutic agent for degenerative arthritis’. This is a research achievement of Prof. Yang Si-Young of the Pharmacology Dept. of Ajou University.

As only pain relievers (pain killers) have been available in the degenerative arthritis medicine market until recently, there is a high level of unmet medical demand, due to the absence of treatments. Unlike the existing cartilage treatments, Synovizen is using Sialyllactose to develop a therapeutic agent for degenerative arthritis.

Sialyllactose is one of the representative biological response modifiers (BRM) contained in breast milk, and is most abundant in colostrum. Because it is a natural product, its advantage is that it has little possibility of toxicity and side effects. In addition, Synovizen said that its newly developed treatment can promote cartilage formation, and at the same time, suppress cartilage degradation and inflammation.

Until now, Sialyllactose has been known to have various functions, but this is the first time that the possibility of Sialyllactose has been identified as a preventive and treatment drug for degenerative arthritis, which breakthrough was achieved by the research team of Ajou University.

Synovizen has experimentally identified the cartilage regeneration and inflammation suppression effect of Sialyllactose Type 3 (3'-sialyl lactose). When Sialyllactose was orally administered to animals in an experimental model that induced degenerative arthritis, the formation of collagen and cartilage components important for cartilage formation was promoted, while at the same time, the expression of factors causing cartilage destruction was reduced.

In addition, when 3'-sialyllactose was treated at high concentration, it was confirmed that the expression of inflammatory factors was suppressed to a level similar to that of celecoxib, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent. The experiment results indicate that Sialyllactose can be used as a preventive agent, as well as a therapeutic agent, for degenerative arthritis.

Synovizen explained that Sialyllactose has potential as a functional health food, as well as a medicinal product. It is safe, and can be administered orally, because it is developed based on natural materials, so it can be manufactured as a health promoting functional food for preventive purpose.

At present, Synovizen is working with Ewha Womans University to develop a production system that can enhance production yield and simplify the manufacturing process, and is developing its own production platform to secure competitiveness in terms of price and quality.

Director Chung Hyun-Ho of the Research and Development Headquarters said, “Synovizen is developing a safe and fundamental solution to diseases by targeting the degenerative arthritis treatment market that so far has had no definite therapeutic agent. When Synovizen’s treatment agent is released to the market, the market value is expected to increase to a remarkably high level.”