[Edaily Reporter Kim Seung-kwon ] HLB PANAGENE(046210)has signed an exclusive agreement with a research and development subsidiary of the Roche Group and will begin full-scale supply of its proprietary synthetic nucleic acid (PNA) to the Singapore market.

The company announced on the 3rd that it recently signed an exclusive distribution agreement for PNA in Singapore with “Chugai Pharmabody PharmaResearch (CPR),” a new drug R&D subsidiary of Japan’s Chugai Pharmaceutical, a member of the Roche Group.

CPR is a new drug research institute established by Chugai Pharmaceutical in Singapore, leading the development of innovative new drugs based on world-class antibody engineering and cyclic peptide platforms. In particular, it spearheaded the development of “Crovalimab,” the world’s first treatment for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) to utilize recycled antibody technology. This agreement is highly significant as it once again demonstrates HLB PANAGENE’s technological capabilities and quality competitiveness in the global market.

PNA is a synthetic nucleic acid derived from the backbone structure of DNA or RNA but modified into a peptide form; it is characterized by its resistance to degradation by enzymes in the body and its excellent binding affinity and selectivity toward target molecules. HLB PANAGENE possesses world-class technological capabilities, including the in-house production of monomers—the key raw materials for PNA—and the ability to stably mass-produce high-quality PNA based on high-purity organic synthesis technology.

HLB PANAGENE currently supplies PNA-based materials and reagents for research and diagnostic purposes to biotech companies, research institutions, and hospitals in over 50 countries worldwide, including the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania. Last May, at “TIDE USA”—the world’s largest conference on oligonucleotides and peptides—the company garnered global attention by presenting research findings on gene regulation using “Gamma PNA,” which demonstrated more than 30 times the efficacy of existing methods.

With this agreement, HLB PANAGENE expects to expand its supply of PNA to research institutions and pharmaceutical and biotech companies in Singapore, leveraging CPR’s extensive local network, and to broaden the scope of application across diagnostics, analysis, and new drug R&D.

In particular, as nucleic acid therapeutics emerge as a core modality of next-generation precision medicine—capable of overcoming the limitations of existing protein- and small-molecule-based therapies and directly targeting the root causes of diseases—interest in PNA, with its high stability and excellent binding specificity, is also growing.

The global nucleic acid therapeutics market (RNAi, ASO, mRNA, etc.) is projected to grow from approximately $8 billion to $20 billion (about 11 trillion to 28 trillion won) in 2025 to $30 billion to $45 billion (about 40 trillion to 60 trillion won) in the early 2030s, recording a high annual growth rate of 14–15%.

Building on this agreement, HLB PANAGENE plans to accelerate its expansion into the global market and continue to expand its PNA business into the field of new drug R&D, moving beyond diagnostics and analysis.

Jang In-geun, CEO of HLB PANAGENE, stated, “This contract is highly significant as it demonstrates that HLB PANAGENE’s technological capabilities, quality competitiveness, and production capacity have been recognized in the global market.” He added, “Going forward, we will further expand our presence in the global market and enhance the value of PNA applications across various fields, including diagnostics, analysis, and new drug R&D.”