ReCerise Signs Research Collaboration for Innovative Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment
ReCerise Therapeutics Inc., a company focused on developing first-in-class oncology therapeutics, has announced a new research partnership with the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS). The collaboration aims to create innovative treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by leveraging multi-omics data analyses.
ReCerise Therapeutics Inc., a pioneering South Korean biotechnology company dedicated to developing innovative treatments for liver cancer and liver-related diseases, has announced an exciting new collaboration with the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS). This partnership will focus on utilizing multi-omics data analyses to develop novel therapeutic options for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a highly prevalent and aggressive form of liver cancer.
The collaboration will be carried out under the PLANet programme (Precision Medicine in Liver Cancer across an Asia-Pacific Network), a research initiative conceptualized and led by NCCS. This program is designed to address the challenges of intra-tumoral heterogeneity and the dynamic nature of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in liver cancer. The PLANet programme aims to perform comprehensive multi-omics profiling of tumor and blood samples from liver cancer patients, providing invaluable data to understand the molecular underpinnings of HCC and inform future therapeutic strategies.
At the heart of this collaboration will be the use of the multi-omics data collected under the PLANet programme. These data will be processed and analyzed to support the development of novel treatments for liver cancer. The research will be led by Prof. Pierce Chow Kah Hoe, a globally recognized expert in HCC, who serves as a Senior Consultant Surgeon in the Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and NCCS. Prof. Chow is also the principal investigator of the PLANet programme, and his leadership will be instrumental in driving this collaboration forward.
Hepatocellular carcinoma is a cancer with a particularly poor prognosis. It is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, when treatment options are limited, and the disease tends to have a low response rate to existing immunotherapy treatments. As such, the need for new and effective therapeutic approaches is urgent. ReCerise was founded with the mission of addressing these unmet medical needs and developing first-in-class treatments for liver cancer.
To date, ReCerise has made significant strides in its research, focusing on the discovery of a liver-specific protein that holds promise as a potential therapeutic target for HCC. The company’s initial basic research and proof-of-concept studies have shown encouraging results, and ReCerise is now eager to expand on this foundational knowledge. Through this collaboration with NCCS, ReCerise aims to conduct a more comprehensive investigation of an HCC patient cohort, using real-life clinical data to confirm the expression of this target protein and evaluate its effect on the liver tumor microenvironment.
“We are excited to collaborate with NCCS to accelerate the development of an innovative new drug for the treatment of liver cancer that ReCerise has been working toward,” said Yong-Bae Kim, CEO of ReCerise Therapeutics. “Through this joint research, we plan to conduct multi-faceted studies on the development potential of RCT1213, a hepatocellular carcinoma treatment candidate currently under development, by utilizing the various omics data and research database of Asian HCC patients at NCCS.”
The collaboration between ReCerise and NCCS is part of a broader research and development project funded by the Korean government, which is managed and supervised by the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT). This government-backed initiative reflects the importance of the partnership in advancing therapeutic innovations for liver cancer, an area of significant unmet need in global healthcare.
ReCerise Therapeutics, established in 2020, has quickly emerged as a leader in the biotech field, particularly in the area of liver cancer treatment. The company leverages cutting-edge technologies to develop breakthrough treatments for refractory cancers, and its track record of success in executing government-funded research projects highlights its research competence and commitment to advancing medical science.
In recognition of its potential, ReCerise was recently selected for the ‘Baby Unicorn 200 Nurturing Project’ by the Korean government’s Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Startups. This distinction further underscores the company’s promise as a high-growth biotech firm with a focus on solving critical healthcare challenges.
Through its collaboration with NCCS, ReCerise is well-positioned to make significant strides in the fight against hepatocellular carcinoma. By combining its innovative research with the comprehensive multi-omics data from the PLANet programme, ReCerise hopes to accelerate the development of new, more effective treatments that could offer hope to the many patients suffering from this challenging cancer.
This partnership is not only a significant step forward for ReCerise but also for the global oncology community. As researchers continue to unravel the complexities of liver cancer, collaborative efforts like this one are essential to developing personalized, precision medicine-based approaches that can ultimately improve patient outcomes and save lives.
