The Catholic University of Korea & Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology,

technology transfer of new compound to avoid cholecystectomy.

The university’s Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation (Head Shin Soo, Jun) attended the technology transfer ceremony of “Pharmaceutical Compounds for Gallbladder Disease Treatment Containing Gallstone Dissolution” technology jointly developed by the Catholic Surgery Research Center and Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (Director Lee Mi Hye). The ceremony was held with Surginex Co., Ltd. (CEO Professor Sejun Kim, Department of Hepatic Biliary Pancreatic Surgery, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital) on the afternoon of March 29th in the meeting room on the 1st floor of the Institute of Biomedical Industry in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. 

What is noteworthy of the jointly developed “Pharmaceutical Composition for Gallbladder Disease Treatment Containing Gallstone Dissolution” technology is the efficacy in asymptomatic cholelithiasis. Although gallstone dissolutions existed in the past, they were not widely used as it showed solubility only for cholesterol gallstones or caused light diarrhea or abdominal pain and side effects that increased blood cholesterol and liver enzyme levels.

On the other hand, this substance can dissolve not only cholesterol gallstone but also cholesterol polyps. There are significantly low side effects and it is expected that unnecessary cholecystectomy due to minor symptoms can be avoided. Also, stability will be secured when the product is commercialized because it has a chelating effect and there is a high possibility of development in various formulations.