Taipei-based Libo Pharma on Tuesday led a delegation to Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture to launch a collaborative project with Fukushima Medical University in emergency radiation medicine.
The collaboration would be based on LIB-101, Libo Pharma’s core investigational drug, which is under development, with the researchers to conduct an investigator-initiated trial (IIT) to study its application in medical management following major radiation accidents.
The delegation also participated in a memorial ceremony for the March 11, 2011, Tohuku earthquake, tsunami and the meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-iachi nuclear plant.
Photo courtesy of Libo Pharma Co
Following the disaster, Japan established a comprehensive nuclear disaster medical and radiation accident response system, and has become a hub for global nuclear disaster medical research and policy development.
The first batch of finished LIB-101 is expected to arrive at Fukushima Medical University this month, after which the university’s research team would begin preparations for the clinical study, the Taiwanese pharmaceutical firm said in a statement.
The IIT would focus primarily on medical applications for personnel involved in decommissioning operations at the nuclear plant given major radiation accident scenarios, evaluating the potential therapeutic effect of LIB-101 in delaying or mitigating the onset and progression of radiation-induced skin injuries following high-dose radiation exposure, the statement said.
LIB-101 is a recombinant human interleukin-12 (IL-12) protein therapeutic with the potential to promote recovery of multiple hematopoietic cell lineages and regulate immune responses, it said.
The drug has previously received support from the US government’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority for the development of medical countermeasures against acute radiation syndrome, it said.
Previous studies showed that the drug can promote the recovery of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets simultaneously, making it one of the few potential emergency radiation therapeutics worldwide with multi-lineage hematopoietic recovery capability, the statement said.
Lin Shih-chia (林世嘉), executive director of the Foundation of Medical Professionals Alliance in Taiwan, said that Fukushima Medical University is a leading research institution in nuclear disaster medicine and radiation science.
Achieving the clinical trial collaboration on LIB-101 represents another outcome of Taiwan-Japan exchanges and friendship across multiple fields, while also demonstrating Taiwan’s capability in nuclear disaster preparedness and public health protection, Lin said.
The initiative also aligns with WHO resolutions on radiation risk, which call on countries to improve preparedness to protect public health during nuclear emergencies, she said.
“This cooperation not only marks LIB-101’s formal entry into Japan’s clinical research environment, but also represents an important milestone in trilateral collaboration among Taiwan, Japan and the US in nuclear disaster medicine and public health security,” she added.
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