“Neuroventi is the first to develop an autism treatment, dreaming of becoming a market leader”

21-12-02

Heater View - Shin Chan-young, CEO of Neuroventi, walking the path with fewer footprints

Autism, focus on ADHD treatment development

Promotion of business through balanced development such as R&D and BD

"When one new drug comes out, better drugs will continue to come out. Neuroventi wants to play a pioneering role in the field of autism treatment. We are working with the dream of developing drugs with better effects and fewer side effects."

Shin Chan-yeong, CEO of Neuroventi, which is developing autism treatment, received a doctorate in neuropharmacology from Seoul National University's College of Pharmacy and worked as a post-doctoral researcher at Yale University in the United States to further study how autism and neurological functions are regulated. Upon his return, he was appointed as a professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Konkuk University Medical School.

At the time, most of his brain disease research was focused on degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and brain development disorder researchers were rare.

Hit News met CEO Shin Chan-young, who has been developing an 'autism cure' for 16 years at the Neuroventi company-affiliated research center located at Konkuk University.

Q. Why did a professor at the Graduate School of Medicine start a business?

He studied brain diseases and found out that there is no clear cure for cases like autism. The doctor who diagnosed autism did not have the right medicine to prescribe. Supplements were prescribed according to symptoms such as depression, schizophrenia, and sleep disorders, but there was no drug that could control the core symptoms of autism. It's painful to not have a way to help when autism affects you and your family so severely.

Since there were not many pharmaceutical companies capable of developing autism treatment properly, I do not know what the probability of success will be, but I decided to jump into the development of a treatment myself. It was with a sense of mission that I started a business.

Q. Why are you focusing on developing treatments for brain development disorders such as autism and ADHD?

There are no medicines, and there are patients who are suffering. Of course, to grow from a startup to a venture and back to a unicorn, economics must be considered. In the case of the United States, the rate of social loss due to autism is approximately 1/3 of Alzheimer's, and research funding is also evaluated at 1/3 of Alzheimer's.

That is, the marketability is at least 1/3 of Alzheimer's. It's not a small market. Due to the lack of drugs, it is difficult to accurately predict the size of the market. ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), another brain development disorder, has a drug market of about 15 to 16 trillion won.

If autism treatment is developed, I think it will probably grow as rapidly as the ADHD market. Treatments for autism are currently aimed at relieving symptoms rather than outright cure. Since you have to take the medicine for a long time, it can be said that the market potential is great.

Q. How is the development process for the two pipelines, ASD and ADHD?

Bio startups are pipelines after all. We're thinking about 3-4 major pipelines, 2 of which are in the paperwork to go into phase 2 clinical trials.

After obtaining the substance, we standardized it and entered the phase of making a clinical test formulation. Currently, two pipelines are in preparation for phase 2 clinical trials, and the other is in the preclinical (animal testing) phase. After confirming the presence or absence of toxicity in preclinical studies, we plan to apply for an IND (clinical trial plan) and enter the first phase of clinical trials.

Q. Concerta, an ADHD treatment, is available. Is there any unmet medical need to develop a new treatment?

The treatment response of ADHD is about 75%, which means that the medication works well. It's a good drug, but the other 25% have a downside that it doesn't work. There are also complaints of side effects such as stunted growth, sleep deprivation, and dependence. We felt the need to develop a cure targeting this weakness. ADHD treatment development is aimed at helping people who do not respond to medication and reducing side effects.

If meaningful results come out in clinical trials, do you think of technology transfer or joint development with global big pharma?

We believe that it is important to cooperate with leading overseas research institutes, even if they are not pharmaceutical companies. Since the autism market in foreign countries is such an important field, there are many pharmaceutical companies that are interested.

A representative company is Roche of Switzerland. Roche had its own autism pipeline that challenged phase 3 clinical trials, but it failed unfortunately. Significant data came out in the phase 2 clinical trial, but the clinical trial was discontinued because it could not secure meaningful data in the phase 3 clinical trial.

However, we understand that it is challenging clinical trials again with a different internal pipeline. Neuroventi is also considering going out of license with global big pharmas like Roche, and considering joint development.

Q. You have signed MOUs with PalmCad and Newain on brain development disorder treatment. What kind of synergistic effect will there be?

PharmCAD is a company with AI (artificial intelligence)-based technology to predict new drug candidates. Like Neuroventi, it was judged that it had a good relationship with a company that uses emerging technologies to create new drug candidates.

Electronic medicine is a method of treating diseases through electronic stimulation, and since there is no cure for autism, I think there is a considerable demand in the field of electronic medicine. Joint research with Neuroventi will ultimately lead to a combination administration of electronic medicine and oral treatment. Neuroventi has a lot of experience in developing treatments for brain development disorders, so it is going out as a win-win strategy.

Q. The scale of the company seems to be small because it is an on-campus venture, but there is a separate headquarters and research institute.

We currently have 10 full-time employees. Neuroventi has a total of 6 people with doctoral degrees in the field of bio and pharmaceuticals, and about 3 to 4 people with clinical experience or BD (business development) experience. Neuroventi is a company that focuses on research and development.

As it is currently in the stage of preparing for phase 2 clinical trials, it is at this point that a lot of additional personnel are needed. Since it is a new company, there are many things to consider such as salary and stability, but we plan to actively recruit development personnel. Actually, the most important thing is BD. In the end, BD can succeed only when storytelling is based on science. While paying attention to these factors, we are currently developing a cure for autism.

Q. Are R&D funds running smoothly?

Since we started as an on-campus venture, we received quite a bit of government support. We also used the TIPS program that many startups use. I received support for moving in with the help of Seoul Bio Hub, and I also received subsidies by joining the Innovative Entrepreneurship Members of the Health Industry Development Institute. Although we cannot disclose the amount, we are conducting research and development with Series A investment.

Q. The field where there is no clear CNS (Central Nervous System) treatment is bound to be a challenging situation after all. What goal would you like to achieve?

Personally, it's all about helping people who suffer from autism in any way possible. If we succeed in developing a cure for autism, we believe that we can spread the pride of the domestic bio industry to the world.

It can be the world's first in the field of autism, and it will lead the world market. It is Neuroventi's goal to do just that. I want to help patients live a normal life.

Q. How will Neuroventi grow in a few years?

Actively developing your pipeline to make it successful is your first mission. To achieve the goal, it is also important to focus on BD and clinical practice, and to collaborate well with leading overseas researchers, doctors, and research institutes.

Communication with patient groups is particularly important in this area. Collaborative relationships with patients are very important for smooth clinical practice. Since Neuroventi is a company that develops drugs for brain development disorders, it plans to develop its business while paying attention to its social responsibilities.

Q. What is your outlook on CNS treatment research?

If you think positively, the gap may be rather small compared to other fields because less research on autism has been conducted in foreign countries. If we pursue it at a fast pace now, it is an area that is easier to overtake than other therapeutic areas.

Neuroventi is a company that is taking on difficult but beautiful challenges. I want to realize my dream while achieving social contribution. Thank you for your interest and support for Neuroventi.