Aston Sci

Aston Sci. Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, with a U.S. office in Seattle. Founded in 2018 by Hun Jung, who also serves as CEO, the company focuses on developing a portfolio of innovative medicines, with a particular emphasis on therapeutic cancer vaccines. The company's mission is to address unmet medical needs in oncology, immunology, and geriatrics.

The company's core technology is the Th-Vac® platform, which utilizes immune informatics for the continuous discovery of epitopes, forming the basis of their therapeutic vaccine development. This platform is central to their strategy of creating treatments that enhance T-cell immune responses against specific antigens, leading to cancer cell apoptosis. Aston Sci.'s business model is centered on the clinical development and eventual commercialization of its drug pipeline. The company has successfully raised a total of $40 million in funding, including a significant $22.7 million Series C round in December 2021. This capital is being used to fund global clinical development and further drug discovery projects. Investors have included Timefolio Asset Management, Mirae Asset Venture Investment, SBI Investment Korea, and GNTech Venture Capital.

Aston Sci. has a robust pipeline of ten drug candidates in various preclinical and clinical stages. Key products in late-stage development include AST-301 and AST-201. AST-301 is a therapeutic vaccine for HER2-expressing breast and gastric cancers, which has received IND approval from the U.S. FDA for Phase 2 trials. AST-201 is a vaccine for ovarian cancer, which has also been approved for a Phase 2 trial by the U.S. FDA. Other pipeline products include AST-021p for solid tumors and treatments for CNS disorders. The company aims to expand its pipeline to 15 drugs by 2030 and is preparing for a potential listing on the KOSDAQ to facilitate future development.

Keywords: biopharmaceutical, clinical-stage, therapeutic cancer vaccines, oncology, immunology, geriatrics, Th-Vac platform, immune informatics, T-cell response, clinical development, drug discovery, AST-301, AST-201, breast cancer treatment, gastric cancer treatment, ovarian cancer treatment, solid tumors, CNS disorders, KOSDAQ, Seoul-based biotech