(Daewoong Pharmaceutical) Daewoong Pharmaceutical said Thursday it had acquired technology assets and related rights from Turn Biotechnologies through an auction bid, marking a major step into therapies targeting aging-related diseases.At the center of the acquisition is Turn Biotechnologies’ ERA platform, a partial reprogramming technology that uses mRNA-delivered reprogramming factors to restore aged cells to a younger and healthier state while preserving their original cellular identity.Unlike full reprogramming approaches, which can erase a cell’s characteristics and raise safety concerns, partial reprogramming selectively improves age-related functional decline while maintaining the cell’s inherent properties. The technology is increasingly viewed as a promising next-generation approach for treating aging-related diseases.Daewoong Pharmaceutical said the acquisition aligns with its strategy of treating aging as a controllable biological process and addressing the root causes of diseases rather than simply managing symptoms.The company added that the deal builds on prior collaboration with Turn Biotechnologies through affiliate HanAll Biopharma. HanAll had previously signed a licensing agreement with Turn and invested in the company alongside Daewoong to establish a long-term partnership.Daewoong said global interest in aging research is accelerating amid rapidly aging populations and growing demand for healthier lifespans, with antiaging technologies increasingly seen as a key growth area for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.The company said it plans to strengthen its research and development capabilities in aging-related diseases and secure an early lead in the emerging global antiaging therapeutics market.“Aging research has emerged as a strategic field capable of reshaping the future paradigm of medicine beyond the treatment of individual diseases,” said CEO Park Sung-soo.“By securing this platform technology, we will further advance next-generation therapeutic strategies and strengthen our global R&D competitiveness."