[Edaily Reporter KIM SAE-MI ] Green Cross Corporation(006280)has released preclinical study results demonstrating the potential for repeated administration and targeted delivery to organs and cells using its proprietary messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform.

GC Biopharma Corp. announced on the 2nd that it recently presented research findings on its proprietary mRNA-LNP platform at the “2nd Gene & Cell Therapy Summit (GCT 2026)” and the “2026 Fall Academic Conference and International Symposium of the Korean Society of Biotechnology,” both held in Austria.

In these presentations, GC Biopharma Corp. introduced its mRNA design technology, which applies artificial intelligence (AI)-based codon optimization to its proprietary UTR sequences and poly-A structures. The company explained that this approach increased protein translation efficiency by more than 50% compared to benchmarks. It holds eight patents related to mRNA components.

The company also disclosed the results of LNP research conducted to verify the feasibility of repeated dosing. GC Biopharma Corp. explained that repeated intravenous administration of its proprietary LNP to non-human primates maintained stable protein expression levels without the formation of antibodies against polyethylene glycol (PEG). This confirms the potential for applying mRNA-LNP to treatments for chronic diseases that require repeated dosing.

The company is also conducting research on LNPs that selectively target specific organs and cells. GC Biopharma Corp. has built its own lipid library using structure-activity relationship (SAR) modeling. Based on this, the company has secured LNP candidates that target the lungs, spleen, and brain, as well as immune cells and cancer cells. In animal models, some of these candidates demonstrated higher delivery efficiency than the benchmark LNP.

The company also tested the potential for expansion into cancer vaccines. In animal experiments using its proprietary LNP, it confirmed a stronger antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell response compared to the benchmark and observed a significant reduction in tumor size.

Currently, the only pipeline among GC Biopharma Corp.’s mRNA-LNP technologies to have entered the clinical phase is the COVID-19 vaccine candidate “GC4006A.” GC4006A received approval for its domestic Phase 1 clinical trial plan (IND) last December and began administering the first doses to subjects in January of this year. Last month, it received approval for its Phase 2 clinical trial IND.

In the Phase 2 clinical trial, the optimal dose and immunogenicity will be evaluated through a direct comparison with an active control group, involving healthy adults and elderly participants aged 19 to 85. GC Biopharma Corp. aims to begin administering the vaccine to the first patients within this year and to submit an IND application for a Phase 3 clinical trial next year.

GC Biopharma Corp. has also established production facilities to translate research-stage technologies into actual products. The company has equipped its Hwasun plant with manufacturing infrastructure capable of mRNA synthesis and LNP formulation, and plans to expand its proprietary platform beyond vaccines to include treatments for rare genetic diseases, chronic inflammatory diseases, and anti-cancer immunotherapies.

Jeong Jae-wook, Head of R&D at GC Biopharma Corp., stated, “The mRNA-LNP platform is a core asset that GC Biopharma Corp. has built up over a long period of time,” adding, “We will validate the platform through COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials while expanding our pipeline into various therapeutic areas in the future.”