Institut Pasteur Korea accelerates viral disease drug discovery of Korea by operating a drug screening flagship laboratory supported by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases
Institut Pasteur Korea (IPK), by operating a flagship laboratory supporting drug screening, accelerates Korea’s antiviral drug discovery research utilizing its screening platform in the Biosafety Level-3 Laboratory (BSL-3) and expertise in infectious disease research.
The National Institute of Infectious Diseases of Korea announced that it would operate three drug evaluation flagship laboratories in cooperation with the private sector to support the efficacy evaluation of antiviral drug candidates as needed and enhance expertise*. One of these labs is the Cellular Efficacy Analysis Lab operated by IPK.
IPK’s Cellular Efficacy Analysis Lab
IPK’s Cellular Efficacy Analysis Lab accelerates the discovery of new candidates by screening and verifying the antiviral efficacy of privately-commissioned compounds at the cellular level through its high-throughput/high-content screening (HTS/HCS) platforms. In addition, to establish a cell-based efficacy evaluation platform that can rapidly discover antiviral agents in large quantities, IPK plans to establish HTS/HCS drug evaluation system in the BSL-3 and build a standard assay in cooperation with other flagship laboratories. Moreover, IPK will actively promote joint research to discover novel antiviral agents by securing various new compounds.
Combining the expertise accumulated through drug discovery research for viral infectious diseases such as COVID-19, MERS, Zika and hepatitis, IPK facilitates the identification of potent antiviral substances quickly and effectively. The unique research capabilities of IPK include the assays to explore the anti-infection or neutralization efficacy of substances in a research model that reflects the characteristics of the virus; an image-based screening technology that quantitatively analyzes intracellular drug efficacy; and a rich compound library composed of US FDA-approved drugs and substances derived from natural substances.
Dr. Youngmee Jee, the CEO of IPK, said, “We are excited to take part in the government's efforts to support new antiviral drug discovery aiming to improve the infectious disease response and preparedness of Korea.” “We will expand IPK’s R&D capabilities and expertise in infectious disease drug discovery to advance the technology for discovering drug candidates so as to accelerate the development of antiviral drugs in Korea. Our efforts will lead to effective identification of potent substances that can be translated into clinical trials” she revealed.