Baxdime announced on the 12th that it has secured four domestic patents and applied for 15 patents in major countries including the US, Europe, Japan, and China related to the rapid development technology for microbial-based virus-like particles jointly developed with the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation of Yonsei University Medical Center. This patent is evaluated as a technology with safety, stability, and economic feasibility compared to mRNA vaccines in a pandemic situation, and is expected to lead a paradigm shift in vaccine development in the future.
Since early 2022, Backsdime has been conducting joint research with the Yonsei University Medical Center Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation to develop a microbial-based protein and peptide rapid development platform technology, and jointly applied for four patents in May 2023. Three of these were registered as domestic patents in May 2024.
The registered patents include ▲a platform for manufacturing target protein fusion self-assembly nanoparticles based on crystalline proteins using viral nucleocapsids, ▲a platform for manufacturing target protein fusion pentamers based on pentameric toxin proteins using viral nucleocapsids, and ▲a platform for expressing target proteins using viral nucleocapsids, which are evaluated as core source technologies that can produce virus-like particles (VLPs) at low cost and high efficiency.
In late 2023 and early 2024, Baxdime signed a technology transfer agreement to acquire all of the patent shares (50%) held by the Yonsei University Medical Center Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, and secured 100% ownership of four patents. Based on this, it has applied for 15 patents in countries including the US, Europe, Japan, and China to build a global patent portfolio, and plans to complete patent registration in major countries within the next 2-3 years. Through this, Baxdime plans to secure vaccine sovereignty and establish a foundation for technology exports.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, protein-based virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines boasted high safety and stability, but were not commercially successful due to slower development than mRNA vaccines. However, mRNA vaccines have some uncertainties in terms of safety, thermal stability, and production costs. In particular, Korea has not secured the original patent technology for mRNA vaccines, so it is likely to face difficulties in securing technological sovereignty and vaccine sovereignty in future pandemic situations.
Kim Sung-jae, CEO of Baxdime, said, “This patent acquisition will be a turning point that will reduce the dependence of multinational pharmaceutical companies on mRNA technology in responding to pandemics and strengthen the self-reliance of the domestic vaccine ecosystem,” and “Baxdime will also be able to apply this patented technology to the development of various nanoparticle advanced bio-new materials, such as cosmeceuticals and wellness foods.”
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