Obesity is a major worldwide health concern that causes chronic illnesses and diminishes quality of life. ABRAM Therapeutics Limited (ABRAM), co-founded by a PolyU scholar, has made history as the first Hong Kong-based startup to join Roche Accelerator – Roche’s first in-house accelerator globally to support healthcare startups in China. As a leader in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, Roche’s initiative helps advance ABarginase, a drug candidate developed by ABRAM through innovative drug design and advanced protein engineering to address obesity and related metabolic disorders, including diabetes and fatty liver disease.

Established within PolyU’s PolyVentures startup ecosystem, ABRAM was co-founded by Professor Thomas Leung Yun-chung, Professor of the PolyU Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, Lo Ka Chung Charitable Foundation Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Director of the University Research Facility in Life Sciences and Professor Alisa Shum Sau-wun, Associate Professor of the School of Biomedical Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).

Together, they developed ABarginase, a next-generation recombinant human arginase with a long-acting formulation that provides prolonged therapeutic benefits and requires less frequent dosing. Preclinical trials have demonstrated that ABarginase effectively stimulates weight loss, restores healthy body composition, and alleviates inflammation, addressing chronic disorders associated with obesity.

The Roche Accelerator has an acceptance rate below 5%. It selects startups that demonstrate disruptive innovation. Through this initiative, ABRAM can leverage Roche’s extensive resources and expertise to advance ABarginase from the laboratory to clinical application.

Professor Leung expressed pride in ABRAM’s achievement, emphasising the importance of collaborative research between PolyU and CUHK. He noted, “We believe that the strategic collaboration between Roche and ABRAM, along with the resources of a multinational pharmaceutical company and Hong Kong’s strengths in scientific research, will accelerate the clinical translation of ABarginase.”

Professor Christopher Chao, PolyU Vice President (Research and Innovation), commented, “ABRAM’s achievement exemplifies how cross-institutional collaborations can lead to game-changing biopharmaceutical technologies. PolyU will continue to support our startups in their pursuit of innovation, enabling more life-saving technologies to reach the market and benefit humanity.”

ABarginase has previously won the International Federation of Inventor’s Association Best Invention Award and a Global Medal with Congratulations of the Jury at the 48th International Exhibition of Invention Geneva.

Click here to learn more about ABarginase.