What SCAI Therapeutics does

SCAI Therapeutics Co., Ltd. is a South Korea-based bio-venture founded in June 2019 in Daejeon that develops a proprietary drug delivery platform and applies it across pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications. Its core technology, MOASIS® (Molecularly-Associated Innovative Substance), uses molecular self-assembly to form 2-5nm clusters of drug molecules, reportedly improving bioavailability by approximately 10x without chemical modification of the active ingredient. A complementary platform, NDT (Nano Drop Technology), produces surfactant-free nanoemulsions with sub-20nm droplets and stability exceeding two years. The company operates a dual business model: a B2B licensing model in which pharmaceutical partners use MOASIS to reformulate their candidates (named partners include Daewoong Pharmaceutical for transdermal delivery and Daewoo Pharmaceutical for SCAI-003 wet AMD eye drops), and a direct sales line of cosmetic ingredients (SCAI-HA, SCAI-NaDC, SCAI-PDRN, SCAI-RUVEX, SCAI-Oil) and finished cosmetic products.

The pharmaceutical pipeline is concentrated in ophthalmology. SCAI-001, a cyclosporine A dry-eye eye drop using MOASIS, completed a Korean Phase 2 trial in February 2024 with efficacy demonstrated at 20-40% of the active ingredient dose in Restasis and a 90% excipient reduction. SCAI-005, an axitinib-based VEGFR TKI eye drop for wet AMD, completed Phase 1 in November 2025 and received MFDS Phase 2 IND approval in May 2026, enabling non-invasive delivery in place of intravitreal anti-VEGF injections. SCAI-010, a cabozantinib-based wet AMD candidate, is in preclinical development. Revenue mechanics comprise licensing fees, milestone payments, and royalties from pharma partners plus direct ingredient sales to cosmetic manufacturers; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Cumulative disclosed funding since founding is approximately 40 billion KRW (Series A 8 billion KRW in November 2019, Series B 31.4 billion KRW in July 2021) with an additional ~13 billion KRW convertible preferred placement announced for June 2026.

The company holds 15 patents across Korea, the US, and Japan plus three Korean trademarks, and maintains Big3 / venture enterprise / corporate research institute certifications from Korean authorities. Leadership includes a KAIST-trained CEO with serial entrepreneurial background, a Caltech-trained chemist CTO (formerly LG Life Sciences), a CMO who was CEO of Lonza Japan, and a board member who led Novartis Venture Fund Korea. Operating headcount is 11-50, with headquarters in Daejeon and a registered office in Seoul.

Name

SCAI Therapeutics

Legal name

주식회사 스카이테라퓨틱스 (SCAI Therapeutics Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://scaitrx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SCAI Therapeutics is a South Korean clinical-stage biotech that licenses its MOASIS molecular self-assembly drug delivery platform to pharmaceutical partners and sells cosmetic ingredients, with an ophthalmology pipeline led by dry-eye and wet AMD eye drops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Drug Delivery Platforms

NAICS

Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Ophthalmology Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ophthalmology Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAK)

Keywords

• Drug delivery platform
• Pharmaceutical formulations
• Cosmetic ingredients
• Bioavailability enhancement
• Ophthalmic treatments

Headquarters

HQ city

Daejeon

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: The company licenses its MOASIS technology platform to pharmaceutical partners for application in drug development. Partners include Daewoong Pharmaceutical and Daewoo Pharmaceutical for transdermal and ophthalmic formulations.
2. Cosmetic Ingredients: Sale of cosmetic ingredient products including SCAI-HA (hyaluronic acid), SCAI-NaDC (sodium deoxycholate), SCAI-PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide), SCAI-RUVEX, SCAI-Oil, and SCAI-Moisturizing Cream for skincare applications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SCAI Therapeutics develops and commercializes proprietary drug delivery platforms, principally MOASIS (molecular self-assembly that improves bioavailability approximately 10x) and NDT (surfactant-free sub-20nm nanoemulsion), and applies them to an internal ophthalmic drug pipeline (SCAI-001 dry eye, SCAI-005 wet AMD, SCAI-010 wet AMD) and to a portfolio of cosmetic ingredients and skincare products. The company licenses MOASIS to pharmaceutical partners such as Daewoong Pharmaceutical and Daewoo Pharmaceutical for co-development of transdermal and ophthalmic formulations.

Product overview

SCAI Therapeutics is a pharmaceutical and cosmetics company that operates as a dual-platform portfolio business. Their pharmaceutical pipeline centers on MOASIS®-enhanced eye drops for ophthalmic diseases (SCAI-001 for dry eye syndrome in Phase 2, SCAI-005 for wet AMD in Phase 1, SCAI-010 for wet AMD in preclinical), while their cosmetics business offers ingredient products (SCAI-HA, SCAI-NaDC, SCAI-PDRN, SCAI-RUVEX, SCAI-Oil) and finished products (SCAI-Moisturizing Cream). The company also provides its technology platforms (MOASIS® and NDT) to external partners through an Open Innovation program for improved bioavailability implementation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MOASIS Platform MOASIS (Molecularly-Associated Innovative Substance) is SCAI Therapeutics' proprietary molecular self-assembly platform that forms 2–5nm molecular clusters from smaller molecules, delivering approximately 10x improvement in bioavailability regardless of the underlying drug's chemical structure. The platform is licensed to pharmaceutical partners and applied internally to the SCAI ophthalmic pipeline.
• NDT (Nano Drop Technology) NDT is a surfactant-free nanoemulsion technology that disperses nano-sized oil particles uniformly in water, producing rhomb non-spherical droplets under 20nm with crystal-clear transparency and stability exceeding two years. The platform enables water-insoluble, high-efficacy ingredients to be effectively dissolved or dispersed in pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations.
• SCAI-001 (Cyclosporine A Eye Drops) SCAI-001 is a next-generation Cyclosporine A eye drop for dry eye syndrome developed with MOASIS technology, designed to deliver efficacy at a lower active-ingredient dose and with dramatically reduced excipients. Phase 2 clinical trial completed February 2024.
• SCAI-005 (Axitinib-based VEGFR TKI Eye Drops) SCAI-005 is an axitinib-based anti-VEGF eye drop for wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), positioned as a non-invasive alternative to intravitreal injections. Phase 1 clinical trial completed November 2025, with Phase 2 IND approved May 2026.
• SCAI-010 (Cabozantinib-based Eye Drops) SCAI-010 is a preclinical cabozantinib-based eye drop for wet AMD using the MOASIS platform, employing a multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor that inhibits VEGFR2, MET, and AXL. It is the next-generation follow-on to SCAI-005.
• SCAI-HA SCAI-HA is a MOASIS-enhanced hyaluronic acid cosmetic ingredient for skin hydration, elasticity, wrinkle reduction, and facial sagging, developed to enhance collagen synthesis and reduce transepidermal water loss for skincare manufacturers.
• SCAI-NaDC SCAI-NaDC is a sodium deoxycholate topical formulation used for submental lipolysis (localized fat reduction) in cosmetic applications.
• SCAI-PDRN SCAI-PDRN is a polydeoxyribonucleotide cosmetic ingredient used for skin regeneration and dermatological efficacy applications.
• SCAI-RUVEX SCAI-RUVEX is a biodegradable polymer cosmetic ingredient providing enhanced UV protection performance in skincare formulations.
• SCAI-Oil SCAI-Oil is a surfactant-free oil formulation providing moisturizing benefits for cosmetic and skincare applications without harsh surfactants.
• SCAI-Moisturizing Cream SCAI-Moisturizing Cream is a finished skincare product combining ceramide, fatty acid, hyaluronic acid, and other ingredients for skin hydration.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10x improvement in bioavailability through MOASIS technology
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• A-STIN (주식회사 에이스틴)minorOthers · 31 December 2024Absorption merger completed in December 2024. SCAI Therapeutics absorbed A-STIN with a merger ratio of 1:10. This was a small-scale merger under Korean commercial law, expanding SCAI Therapeutics' operational scope.
• Daewoong Pharmaceutical (대웅제약)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 July 2022Joint research and development agreement for transdermal absorption formulation therapeutics. SCAI Therapeutics provides drug substances with improved bioavailability while Daewoong Pharmaceutical handles preclinical and clinical development. This partnership supports Daewoong's '2030 Global Formulation No.1 Vision'.
• Daewoo Pharmaceutical (대우제약)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 May 2022Technology transfer and joint research agreement for wet AMD eye drop development. SCAI-003 (based on Sunitinib) was licensed to Daewoo Pharmaceutical which received exclusive sales rights in Korea. SCAI Therapeutics' MOASIS technology enables formulation of anti-VEGF drugs as eye drops instead of injections.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Novaliq: Novaliq is a German specialty biopharma developing water-free, surfactant-free ophthalmic drug delivery technologies (EyeSol platform) for dry eye disease and retinal indications. It is the closest direct comparable to SCAI's NDT-enabled and MOASIS-enabled eye drop pipeline.
• Kala Bio: Kala Bio is a clinical-stage ophthalmology company developing novel therapies for rare and serious front- and back-of-the-eye diseases. Its dry eye program (KPI-121) and pipeline overlap directly with SCAI-001 and SCAI-005.
• Ocular Therapeutix: Ocular Therapeutix is a US clinical-stage biopharma developing hydrogel-based drug delivery for ophthalmic indications including dry eye and wet AMD, with comparable business model of reformulating established drugs into improved ophthalmic dosage forms.

Broad incumbents

• Alcon: Alcon is the largest dedicated ophthalmology company globally, with a broad portfolio across surgical, vision care, and pharmaceuticals. It is the benchmark broad incumbent SCAI would compete against for ophthalmology market access.
• Bausch + Lomb: Bausch + Lomb operates a large ophthalmic pharmaceuticals business (including dry eye and retinal products), and represents a broad incumbent peer with overlapping therapeutic categories.
• Apellis Pharmaceuticals: Apellis commercializes Syfovre and Izervay for retinal diseases including wet AMD, and represents the type of large-cap US ophthalmology competitor that SCAI would face in the wet AMD indication.
• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals: Regeneron co-markets Eylea (aflibercept), the dominant anti-VEGF therapy for wet AMD, and represents the most important competitive incumbent that any anti-VEGF eye drop must outperform or differentiate against.

Regional players

• HanAll BioPharma: HanAll BioPharma is a Korean specialty pharma with a strong ophthalmology franchise (e.g., antihistamine/anti-inflammatory eye drops) and pipeline, making it the most relevant Korean-headquartered ophthalmology peer.

Others

• Huya Bioscience International: Huya is a clinical-stage biopharma that partners with Asian innovators to bring therapeutics into US and global markets, sharing SCAI's BD-advisor profile (Alain Rolland, former Huya CSO, is on SCAI's BD team).
• Daewoong Pharmaceutical: Daewoong Pharmaceutical is a major Korean pharma and SCAI's strategic co-development partner for transdermal formulations; included as an ecosystem/partner peer because of the deep, disclosed collaboration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors8 records

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SCAI Therapeutics