Bioneer Corporation, a Korean diagnostic equipment maker, has filed for patent application of its investigational compounds to treat COVID-19 under development with a local RNAi drug discovery company siRNAgen Therapeutics Corporation.

Bioneer said on Monday the two companies have explored 960 potential candidates that can inhibit the proliferation of both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS viruses since March, and successfully identified some compounds effective in the fight against the viruses by using a human-derived cell line in early May.

Bioneer plans to start a non-clinical study for the compounds identified through siRNAgen Therapeutics. A non-clinical study contract was already signed to test those candidate drugs in weasels from early June.

Bioneer founded in 1992 to localize life science lap equipment is the first Korean company that successfully localized enzyme and primer for PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) testing, as well as PCR and real-time PCR assays. It has also established a DNA synthesis center with a global scale.

SAMiRNA™ developed by Bioneer is a substance that breaks down disease-related RNA. It is selectively delivered to specific proteins that cause disease and is activated inside target cells.

This single-molecule nanoparticle RNAi platform technology has already been verified safe with no innate immune stimulation, which is a commonly reported side effect in siRNA drugs.

This technology is patent protected in 15 countries including the United States and Europe.

Bioneer’s COVID-19 therapy uses the patented siRNA nanoparticle technology to attack various regions of the viral gene, thus retaining its efficacy against various mutations, a company official said, adding it is expected that there will be no side effects such as cytokine storms.

A human clinical study is scheduled to begin within this year.

By Kim Si-gyun and Minu Kim

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