Hanmi Pharmaceutical has taken a step closer to developing a dream obesity treatment that increases muscle mass while reducing weight. The company has secured encouraging research results in clinical trials using a candidate substance, signaling a green light for entering global Phase 1 clinical trials.

Hanmi Pharmaceutical announced on the 5th that it presented a poster at the 'ISMB (Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology)/ECCB (European Conference on Computational Biology) 2025' held in Liverpool, UK last month. The poster detailed preclinical research results confirming the obesity improvement effect of the obesity treatment candidate HM17321, which enhances metabolic health by increasing muscle mass and strengthening muscle function.

At the 'ISMB/ECCB 2025', Hanmi Pharmaceutical disclosed machine learning-based analysis results predicting the possibility of reproducing the efficacy of HM17321, proven in animal experiments, in humans. This was achieved by integrating animal protein omics data and human-derived bio big data.

HM17321 is a UCN2 (Urocortin 2) analogue that selectively targets the CRF2 (corticotropin-releasing factor 2) receptor, rather than incretin receptors like GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1). It was designed using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and structural modeling technology embedded in Hanmi Pharmaceutical's R&D Center. This new drug candidate is being developed as a 'first-in-class' innovative obesity treatment that goes beyond merely compensating for muscle loss to achieve the seemingly impossible 'increase in muscle mass' and 'selective fat reduction' simultaneously.

According to Hanmi Pharmaceutical, the study was conducted by comparing the proteome in the blood of animals administered with HM17321 to the proteome in the blood of humans with various diseases or physical characteristics. The results showed that HM17321 induces changes similar to the proteome characteristics of people with 'low fat mass and high lean mass with strong grip strength.'

Hanmi Pharmaceutical explained that the study results reaffirm the efficacy observed in animal experiments and suggest the possibility of realizing this efficacy in humans. Additionally, it allows for a broad exploration of additional efficacy, indications, and potential side effects that are difficult to confirm with a single animal experiment, enabling a more sophisticated approach to future preclinical and clinical development strategies and enhancing research and development (R&D) efficiency.

Jeon Hae-min, Senior Vice President and Head of Clinical Implementation at Hanmi Pharmaceutical's R&D Center, stated, "The transition from preclinical to clinical is the stage with the greatest uncertainty in the entire drug development process. This study provides a useful tool to significantly reduce uncertainty and is expected to greatly contribute to the efficiency of Hanmi Pharmaceutical's drug development."

The Clinical Implementation Team at Hanmi Pharmaceutical's R&D Center is conducting research to predict clinical responses and side effects of internally developed drug candidates in advance. This is achieved by integrating multi-omics data such as genomes, transcriptomes, and proteomes obtained from animals and humans with bio big data using the latest bioinformatics techniques and machine learning technologies.

Choi In-young, Executive Vice President and Head of Hanmi Pharmaceutical's R&D Center, stated, "The significant achievement of scientifically proving the possibility of reproducing the pharmacological effects of HM17321 in humans as it enters Phase 1 clinical trials. By presenting a new paradigm of 'qualitative reduction' that encompasses muscle function and metabolic health beyond mere weight loss, we aim to establish the 'global standard for obesity treatment.'"

Meanwhile, ISMB/ECCB is known as a prestigious academic conference in the field of bioinformatics. It is an international conference where the latest insights into biological research using advanced technologies such as AI, machine learning, and big data are exchanged. This year, the 33rd ISMB and the 24th ECCB were jointly held.

Popular News