Over 600 times the safety window, Crystal Taie (02228) empowers Morda Biologics to make a major breakthrough in the development of the world's first oral LDH inhibitor, targeting the billion-dollar self-immune market.

Recently, Crystal Tai Technology (02228) incubated enterprise Meta Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced that its first clinical development candidate molecule (PCC) MP-5342 for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been identified. Currently, preparations are actively underway for a new drug clinical trial application (IND), with the earliest expectation to begin formal clinical trial registration in the second half of 2026. MP-5342 is the world's first oral small molecule lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) inhibitor developed by Crystal Tai Technology for Meta Pharmaceuticals. As a potential first-in-class (FIC) and best-in-class (BIC) candidate drug that truly achieves source innovation, MP-5342 precisely targets the underlying biological mechanisms of immune metabolism, reshaping immune balance and disease progression through metabolic reprogramming to achieve a safer and more effective anti-inflammatory treatment. It is expected to fill the treatment gap in LDH target therapy. This pipeline not only covers the multi-billion-dollar IBD treatment market, but also has the potential to rapidly expand into high-prevalence autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and atopic dermatitis, with a market space that could rise to the billion-dollar level. MP-5342 is the second innovative drug pipeline developed by Crystal Tai Technology in collaboration with Meta Pharmaceuticals that is about to enter clinical development. This progress once again strongly validates Crystal Tai Technology's leading capabilities in source innovation breakthroughs, efficient clinical translation, and technological reproducibility with the AI+Siasun Robot & Automation drug development platform. With its unique platform technology advantage, Crystal Tai Technology is actively empowering the development of a new generation of innovative drugs, systematically and on a large scale, providing high-value pipeline assets for partners and creating value for the industry. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic and debilitating disease with no definitive cure at present. Data shows that the global IBD treatment market is expected to increase from $29.57 billion in 2024 to $44.08 billion in 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8%. However, current therapies generally face key challenges such as clinical remission rates of less than 40%, drug resistance, significant systemic side effects, and disease relapse, highlighting the significant unmet need. Targeting the inhibition of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as a new treatment strategy, by regulating the key enzyme in cell glucose metabolism, may effectively modulate T cell and B cell function, potentially rebalancing the dysregulated immune system and restoring abnormal immune cell function, demonstrating broad potential in IBD and other autoimmune diseases. MP-5342 is an oral LDH inhibitor developed by Crystal Tai Technology in collaboration with Meta Pharmaceuticals based on its AI+Siasun Robot & Automation drug discovery platform. In the drug discovery process, Meta Pharmaceuticals successfully identified and validated the key target of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) based on the advanced "immunometabolic checkpoint" theory. Crystal Tai Technology, through advanced XFEP (free energy perturbation) calculations, accurately evaluated the binding strength of candidate molecules to the target protein, quickly identifying compound mother molecules with higher activity and better drug-like properties. At the same time, using the high-throughput Siasun Robot & Automation experimental platform, compound molecules were synthesized, tested, and iteratively optimized, providing Meta Pharmaceuticals with multidimensional core technical support to help quickly confirm MP-5342 as a preclinical candidate compound (PCC) for treating IBD. Preclinical research data fully demonstrates the advantages of MP-5342 as a potential first-in-class and best-in-class candidate drug. Preclinical animal disease models show that MP-5342 has a safety window over 600 times, far exceeding the industry standard safety threshold (usually >40 times). In six different standard pharmacological models induced by mechanisms in the first indication of IBD, MP-5342 showed significant efficacy, higher safety, and lower toxic side effects compared to existing standard therapies. By co-administration with novel biological agents, MP-5342 is expected to accurately address the pain points of current therapies, achieving rapid inflammation relief in IBD, accelerating mucosal repair, significantly reducing the risk of recurrence, and providing more lasting disease relief. Additionally, its oral administration method will greatly improve patient compliance and drug convenience, with lower production costs reducing the economic burden of long-term drug use for patients, positively impacting the healthcare system. Based on the treatment strategy of regulating the immune metabolism pathway, MP-5342 demonstrates strong potential for indication expansion, and is expected to rapidly cover a variety of high-prevalence autoimmune diseases caused by immune and metabolic system disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS), atopic dermatitis, primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), etc. With its extensive regulation of the underlying pathological mechanism of immune metabolism, MP-5342 has the opportunity to rival broad-spectrum therapeutic drugs with annual sales in the billions of dollars in the same field, aiming directly at the global multi-billion-dollar self-immunity race track gold market. Previously, Crystal Tai Technology and Meta Pharmaceuticals collaborated to develop the world's first small molecule inhibitor META-001-PH targeting primary hyperuricemia, which has been granted FDA orphan drug designation (ODD) and pediatric rare disease qualification (RPDD). As a leading AI+Siasun Robot & Automation drug development platform, Crystal Tai Technology is continuously verifying its ability to efficiently translate cutting-edge biological discoveries into competitive pipeline assets through collaborative pipelines such as MP-5342 and META-001-PH. As Crystal Tai Technology's innovative drug pipelines developed through discovery and optimization enter the clinical stage, the company will continue to accumulate research and development data to drive AI algorithm iteration and upgrade, empowering more partners to accelerate source innovation breakthroughs, promote faster access to breakthrough therapies worldwide, and accelerate the realization of the significant social and economic potential of artificial intelligence in the field of biomedicine. About Meta Pharmaceuticals Meta Pharmaceuticals Inc. is an innovative pharmaceutical company focused on the research and development of drugs for autoimmune diseases and metabolic diseases. Co-incubated by AI pharmaceutical pioneer Crystal Tai Technology, Forcefield Ventures, IMO Ventures, with investment from Xingtuz Capital, Yuan Yi Capital, Fangyuan Capital, Shenzhen New Industries Biomedical Engineering Venture Capital, Dexun Investment, and Borop Capital. Meta Pharmaceuticals, based on cutting-edge emerging biological theories, aims to develop safer and more effective treatments for autoimmune and metabolic diseases by regulating the vitality of cell metabolism to effectively regulate immune system function and other physiological system functions. Focusing on the development of first-in-class innovative drugs, it provides urgently needed drugs for numerous patients worldwide. About Crystal Tai Technology Crystal Tai Technology (XTalPi Holdings Limited, stock abbreviation: XTALPI, stock code: 02228) was founded by three physicists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2015. It is an innovative research and development platform based on quantum physics, empowered by artificial intelligence, and driven by Siasun Robot & Automation. The company combines quantum physics-based first-principles calculations, artificial intelligence, high-performance cloud computing, and scalable and standardized Siasun Robot & Automation automation to provide drug and material science research and development solutions and services for global and domestic companies in industries such as pharmaceuticals and materials science (including agricultural technology, energy, and novel chemicals and cosmetics).