April Bio

April Bio is a South Korean biopharmaceutical company founded in 2013 by CEO Sang-hoon Cha, specializing in the development of biologics for rare diseases, oncology, and autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. The company is built around its proprietary SAFA (anti-Serum Albumin Fab Associated) platform technology. This technology utilizes human Fab antibody fragments that bind to serum albumin, which extends the in-body half-life of drugs to approximately 19 to 25 days, allowing for less frequent dosing schedules of once every two to four weeks.

The company's pipeline includes several candidates developed using the SAFA platform. APB-A1 is an autoimmune disease drug candidate that completed Phase 1 trials. APB-R3, targeting autoinflammatory diseases like inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis by inhibiting IL-18, has also completed Phase 1 and is now in Phase 2a trials with partner Evommune. The company is also co-developing an anticancer treatment with Yuhan Corporation, which became the second-largest shareholder in April Bio after a series of investments. The business model involves in-house development and strategic licensing and co-development partnerships. This is exemplified by its agreements with Yuhan Corporation for oncology and Evommune for inflammatory diseases. Revenue is generated through technology fees, milestone payments, and potential future royalties on net sales from these collaborations.

April Bio went public and was listed on the KOSDAQ market in July 2022. The company's main research and development center is located at Gangwon University, with another office in Seoul.

Keywords: biologics, long-acting drug platform, SAFA technology, antibody fragments, autoimmune diseases, oncology, inflammatory diseases, albumin binding, serum half-life extension, cytokine inhibition, CD40L, IL-18, biopharmaceutical, clinical trials, drug development, Yuhan Corporation, Evommune, KOSDAQ, APB-A1, APB-R3