SK Biopharmaceuticals forms Scientific Advisory Board

South Korea's SK Biopharmaceuticals assembled its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) composed of world-renowned physicians and drug development experts.

SAB's mission is to play a guiding role in research and development (R&D), focusing on the development of next-generation drugs such as radiopharmaceuticals (RPT) and cell & gene therapy (CGT), in addition to epilepsy treatments.

The committee is led by renowned oncologist Dr. Bang Yung-Jue, who is highly esteemed in the field of targeted and immune oncology clinical medicine. Dr. Bang has served as the Chairman of the Korean Cancer Association, the President of the Korean Cancer Study Group and the Director of the Korean Society of Medical Oncology. Moreover, he has published over 500 papers in high-impact international academic journals listed in the Science Citation Index.

In addition, the board members include Jacqueline A. French, a neurology professor at NYU School of Medicine; Steve S. Chung, a neurology professor at Banner University Medical Center; Il Minn, a professor of radiology and radiological sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; and Cheol-Young Maeng, the head of new drug discovery (CTO) at SK Biopharmaceuticals.

SK Biopharmaceuticals has thus far been fully focused on establishing its self-developed epilepsy treatment, Cenobamate, in the US market and securing it as a cash cow. Now, with Cenobamate gaining a certain level of market presence, the company has adopted a strategy to accelerate the development of its next pipeline of drugs.

The company has chosen RTP, CGT and targeted protein degradation (TPD)-based anticancer agents as its next growth drivers. SK Biopharmaceuticals aims to become the leading radiopharmaceutical company in Asia within the next five years.

Write to Jeong Min Nam at peux@hankyung.com