Zebrafish-based personalized drug testing company Zefit (CEO Lee Ki-baek) announced that it has been finally selected as a joint research institution for the 'Korean ARPA-H Project' research task, organized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute's K-Health Future Initiative.

The 'Korean ARPA-H Project' is a large-scale research and development project aimed at solving national challenges and promoting innovation in medical and health services. The government has set five core missions: △ Establishment of health security △ Overcoming untreatable diseases △ Securing cutting-edge biohealth technology △ Improving welfare and care △ Innovation in essential medical services. Up to KRW 14.75 billion in research and development funds will be provided per project over four years and six months.

The official title of the project Zefit is participating in is 'Development of n-of-1 ASO Therapeutics for Pediatric Rare Epilepsy Patients.' This research is conducted in a consortium format, led by Yonsei University Severance Hospital, with Zefit and Sogagen Co., Ltd. as joint research institutions. The research aims to develop antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapeutics tailored to the genetic variations of individual patients. Zefit will utilize 'patient-customized zebrafish genetic disease models' and 'experimental automation robots' to quickly verify the efficacy and safety of candidate substances. This aims to secure data with higher clinical translatability compared to existing animal models and significantly reduce development time and costs.

The industry views this research as contributing not only to solving the shortage of therapeutics for rare epilepsy patients but also to strengthening national capabilities for implementing personalized precision medicine. Zefit plans to open up possibilities for future international joint research and entry into the global market based on its accumulated automation facilities and disease model technology as a global zebrafish CRO company.

Lee Ki-baek, CEO of Zefit, stated, "The selection for the Korean ARPA-H project is a result of national recognition of Zefit's technological capabilities and research achievements," and added, "We will open a new paradigm in the development of personalized therapeutics for rare diseases and precision medicine based on zebrafish models and automation robot technology."

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