[E-Daily Reporter Kim Hyung-il ] AI precision medicine company NGeneBio Co., Ltd.(354200)announced on the 27th that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Incheon Sejong Hospital to jointly develop genetic and blood test solutions for evaluating patient-specific treatment responses and the risk of side effects associated with GLP-1-based obesity treatments.
On the 26th, Lee Geun-sook, Director of NGeneBio Co., Ltd.’s in-house research institute (right), and Oh Byeong-hee, President of Incheon Sejong Hospital, pose for a commemorative photo after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for joint research to develop tests that predict drug responses and side effects of GLP-1 medications at Incheon Sejong Hospital. (Photo courtesy of NGeneBio Co., Ltd.)
This collaboration marks the first instance of expanding the development of GLP-1 personalized treatment tests—which NGeneBio Co., Ltd. has been pursuing—into actual clinical settings. Both parties plan to collect clinical data specific to Koreans by linking the genetic information and blood test results of actual GLP-1 treatment patients with their weight changes, treatment efficacy, and adverse reactions.
NGeneBio Co., Ltd. will utilize the collected data to identify biomarkers that influence treatment responses and side effects of GLP-1-based obesity treatments and to validate the performance of its diagnostic products and analytical algorithms. The company plans to verify the validity of candidate genes—such as GLP1R and GIPR—reported in international studies using data from Korean patients and to identify additional biomarkers specific to the domestic patient population.
The tests being developed by NGeneBio Co., Ltd. are divided into pre-treatment and during-treatment phases. Prior to treatment, genetic information is analyzed to predict individual drug responses and the risk of side effects; after treatment begins, changes in blood parameters are analyzed to monitor signals associated with major adverse reactions. The company plans to expand the application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and liquid biopsy technologies—acquired through its precision oncology diagnostics business—to the fields of obesity and metabolic diseases.
In particular, the key aspect of this collaboration is the validation of test performance based on real-world patient data. Incheon Sejong Hospital operates an Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Center and provides treatment and follow-up care for patients with obesity and metabolic diseases; as such, it will serve as a clinical base for securing data on patients receiving GLP-1 therapy.
NGeneBio Co., Ltd. also plans to utilize the accumulated data on Korean patients receiving GLP-1 therapy not only for the development of diagnostic products but also for patient selection in pharmaceutical clinical trials, biomarker research, and the development of next-generation obesity treatments.
A NGeneBio Co., Ltd. official stated, “By combining Incheon Sejong Hospital’s expertise in obesity treatment with NGeneBio Co., Ltd.’s precision diagnostic capabilities, we will enhance the quality of our testing solutions, which span from pre-treatment prediction to monitoring during treatment,” adding, “We will expand our precision medicine business in the field of obesity and metabolic diseases based on Korean patient data.”
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