Ewha-Industry Collaboration Foundation & VasThera, Signed Technology Transfer Agreement for Cardiovascular Disease and D
- Date2024.08.19
- 14775
On August 16th (Fri), Ewha University-Industry Collaboration Foundation (Chair: Lee June Seong) held a ceremony to sign a medium to large-scale technology transfer agreement with VasThera (CEO: Professor Kang Sang-won from the Department of Life Science) for the patent-based technology of treatments for cardiovascular diseases and dry macular degeneration.
(From left) CEO of VasThera and Professor Lee
The technologies covered in this agreement include a vascular treatment technology that regulates hypertrophy in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs)—a cause of arterial atherosclerosis—by selecting target genes using miRNA. It also includes the core source technology for new compounds that can directly inhibit the damage or death of retinal cells, particularly for eye diseases like dry macular degeneration, where fundamental treatments are currently unavailable.
CEO of VasThera, Kang Sang-won, put it, “Since I became a professor at Ewha in 2002, I have actively contributed to building a high-quality patent portfolio with the support of Technology Licensing and Commercialization Center, promoting faculty startups through SPC (Special Purpose Company), attracting investments, and creating jobs. This technology transfer will be a significant leap forward in the global market as well as VasThera’s successful development of new drugs. We will exemplify a successful university technology startup case so that we reinvest the profits back into Ewha, thereby contributing financially.”
Professor Lee said, “This agreement will not only mark a simple technology transfer but also be a pivotal turning point in opening an innovative future for Ewha’s technology commercialization. Our foundation will maintain a close relationship with VasThera and actively cooperate for mutual growth and development.”
Technology Licensing and Commercialization Center (Chair Song Hyun-eui) stated, “We are providing various forms of support to VasThera through the Ministry of Education’s National Research Foundation’s BRIDGE 3.0 project and the Korean Intellectual Property Office’s IP Profit Reinvestment Support Program, to help the company lead the global biotech market. And we will work hard to create a virtuous cycle where the technology royalties are reinvested into the university.”