[Edaily Reporter Kim Ji-wan] #BigenCell is attending the world’s largest partnering event to explore partnership opportunities.

BigenCell announced on the 17th that it will participate in the 2026 Bio International Convention (hereinafter “Bio USA”), to be held in San Diego, USA, from the 22nd to the 25th.

Bio USA, organized by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), is the world’s largest pharmaceutical and biotech industry event and a premier partnering platform that annually attracts approximately 20,000 industry professionals from over 70 countries worldwide.

At this event, Bygencell will hold partnering meetings with numerous global companies, highlighting its flagship pipeline, “VC101 (VT-EBV-N).”

“VC101” achieved a 95% 4-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate and a 100% 4-year overall survival (OS) rate in a randomized, double-blind clinical trial. Based on these results, the company delivered consecutive oral presentations at ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) and EHA (European Hematology Association). Furthermore, the company recently garnered significant attention after being selected as the first advanced regenerative medicine treatment by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

In conjunction with this, the company plans to proceed with discussions regarding collaboration on “VC302,” an allogeneic cell therapy currently under development for glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumor; due to its extremely rapid growth and metastasis, survival rates remain very low and recurrence rates are high even with standard treatment. Furthermore, the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which blocks foreign substances from entering the brain, makes it difficult for drugs to reach tumor cells within the brain.

“VC302,” currently under joint development with Terabest, recently presented preclinical study results at the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) on a next-generation GD2-targeted iPSC-derived CAR-NK cell therapy that applies a platform technology enhancing three immune functions.

In vitro experiments showed that tumor-tracking ability and persistence in vivo were improved by more than five times compared to existing cells. In a glioblastoma mouse model, the intraventricular (ICV) administration group achieved and maintained complete remission (CR). The therapy also possesses “off-the-shelf” characteristics, meaning it can be administered immediately and is capable of mass production and supply.

BigenCell CEO Ki Pyeong-seok stated, “At this year’s Bio USA, we plan to expand our engagement with global companies as a ‘comprehensive cell therapy company’ capable of targeting a broader market with both autologous (personalized) and allogeneic (universal) therapies.” He added, “We will strive to take the interest generated through our participation in previous global conferences and partnering events to the next level and translate it into tangible results.”