HLB Panagene Advances PNA-Based Antibody–Oligonucleotide Conjugate Program in DMD

According to a recent LinkedIn post from BioSpectator Inc, HLB Panagene CEO Jang In‑keun discussed the development status and strategy for a peptide nucleic acid, or PNA, based antibody‑oligonucleotide conjugate, AOC, platform. The post highlights PNA’s stability, strong binding affinity, and flexibility in property modification compared with other synthetic nucleic acids, which may enable more tailored drug design for specific diseases.

The LinkedIn post also notes that intracellular delivery has historically limited PNA’s druggability, but suggests that success with antibody‑drug conjugates, ADCs, points to antibodies as viable delivery vehicles, opening a path for AOCs as a next‑generation modality. It further indicates that HLB Panagene is progressing an early‑stage Duchenne muscular dystrophy, DMD, program using a TfR1 antibody conjugated with exon‑skipping PNA, implying a potential pipeline asset that could, if successful, enhance the company’s position in the emerging nucleic acid therapeutics space and attract partnering or funding interest.