News
2023.10.10
｜Kwon Kyu-chan, CEO of Dx&Vx
｜Providing genetic analysis services for the entire life cycle and strengthening R&D expertise
｜Speeding up the development of new microbiome drugs and acquired Avixgen in April
“Our goal is to double our global sales in a year and secure at least three late-stage clinical development pipelines (new drug candidates) in three years. We want to become a company whose market capitalization is KRW 1 trillion as soon as possible. We’ll become a company that people want to work at and a company that has gained global recognition beyond just a good reputation.”
Kwon Kyu-chan, CEO of Dx&Vx (DXVX), is regarded as a drug development expert with years of experience in biological research and global regulatory affairs (RA) at Daewoong Pharmaceutical and Hanmi Pharmaceutical. Mr. Kwon has spearheaded the efforts to gaining more than a hundred global drug marketing approvals, including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals for Hanmi Pharm’s Rolvedone, a new biological drug in the field of anti-cancer treatment, and Esomezole for gastroesophageal reflux disease treatment.
Mr. Kwon joined Dx&Vx this past May as the President of R&D and was appointed as the CEO in August. With his expertise in business development (BD) and R&D, Mr. Kwon will drive the company’s growth alongside CEO Lee Yong-gu, a global sales expert.
Dx&Vx, armed with excellent diagnostic technology, has been strengthening its drug development capabilities since Mr. Kwon joined the company. 
Kwon Kyu-chan, CEO and President of Dx&Vx
｜Dx&Vx strengthening its two-track strategy centering on genomic analysis and drug development
｜Creating a virtuous cycle of focusing on R&D → creating results → increasing global sales
Dx&Vx offers big data-based life cycle genetic analysis services.
The company provides total healthcare solutions for disease diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and management based on its excellent diagnostic technology and microbiome R&D capacity. In particular, the company provides big data-based genetic analysis services for the entire life cycle.
“We have all the molecular cytogenetics platforms including fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), microarray, and next-generation sequencing (NGS),” said Mr. Kwon before adding, “We can provide customized genomic analysis solutions to hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and bio and healthcare companies with an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered integrated genomic analysis platform built based on clinical data from more than 200 partner hospitals nationwide.”
In particular, GenomeCheck, the company's lifecycle genomic analysis service, has been recognized for both its technology and safety by medical staff in Korea. "In the case of Genome Check, we mainly refer to the feedback of medical staff because it is a genomic diagnosis service targeting hospitals and clinics nationwide," said Kwon. "Our service has also been introduced as an example in presentations at academic conferences such as the Korean Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists."
GenomeCheck, the company’s life-cycle genome analysis service, has been recognized for both its technology and safety by healthcare professionals in Korea. “In the case of GenomeCheck, we mainly refer to the feedback from medical professionals because it is a genomic diagnosis service targeting hospitals and clinics nationwide. Our service has been introduced during presentations at academic conferences such as that of the Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists,” said Mr. Kwon.
Most importantly, since Kwon joined the company, Dx&Vx has initiated its efforts to become a drug development company. “We’ll expand our business by strengthening our R&D expertise. We have excellent microbiome R&D capabilities, so we’ll also conduct microbiome-based drug R&D. […] We’ll launch a genome business utilizing our molecular genetic diagnosis capacity within this year. It’ll create major synergy with the companion diagnostics business we’ve already launched,” said Mr. Kwon.
He then added, “Dx&Vx will seek to develop groundbreaking new drugs such as anti-cancer vaccines, antibody drugs, and messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines. […] We will also expand our global business. We’ll be able to generate results by focusing on R&D, which will lead to increased global sales."
｜Aiming to develop new microbiome drugs targeting obesity and diabetes
｜ Gained diverse pipelines by acquiring Avixgen in April
Dx&Vx’s Microbiome Pipelines.
Dx&Vx is currently spurring efforts to develop microbiome treatments. In particular, the company is developing microbiome drug candidates targeting metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
Mr. Kwon explained, “We are conducting a clinical trial at Gemelli Hospital in Italy to find specific biomarkers of obesity and diabetes. […] We have recruited more than 2,100 subjects. Metabolomics analysis is underway in the United States.”
He added, “We expect the results of the study to provide clues for the development of microbiome treatments targeting diabetes and obesity. We will accelerate our efforts in clinical trials by establishing a global clinical development strategy with our microbiome research experts, external advisors, and clinical and RA experts.
The company’s lead pipeline, Vx_1010 (development code), is set to enter a Phase 1 clinical trial in 2025, with a clinical trial in the United States in mind. The company acquired the drug development company, Avixgen, this past April, through which it gained new drug pipelines for macular degeneration, dry eye, and atopic dermatitis.
“Through the acquisition of Avixgen, we have secured several pipelines. […] Our drug research and clinical development divisions will work to shorten the development period of Avixgen’s pipelines and increase the probability of success,” said Mr. Kwon.
He emphasized that “Dx&Vx is committed to developing five areas of its organizational culture: a pleasant workplace, happy work life, fast execution, eagerness to come to work, and great feeling when returning home.”
Source: Hit News