What RudaCure does

RudaCure Co., Ltd. is a South Korean clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2018 by Dr. Yong-ho Kim (Gachon University professor) that develops non-opioid therapeutics for pain and sensory diseases using AI-driven ion channel drug discovery. The company's core technology is the RuCIA (RudaCure Ion Channel Innovative Assessment) platform, which combines structure-based drug design and computational chemistry to predict membrane-protein selectivity, validated through high-throughput electrophysiology (patch clamp) measurements. Its pipeline includes RCI001 for dry eye disease (FDA Phase 2 IND approved August 2025, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07068958, targeting TRPV1-Rac1 downstream modulation with rapid tear secretion and 4-week therapeutic onset), RCI002 for non-opioid chronic pain (pre-clinical MOR biased dual-target TRPV1-MOR peptide with zero hyperthermia, preparing CRPS Orphan Drug Designation), RCI003 for psoriasis (discovery, in collaboration with Syntekabio), RCI0165 AAV gene therapy for veterinary pain, and RC0125 AAV for orphan CMT2C disease.

The company operates across three offices (Incheon headquarters, Seoul R&D, New York US subsidiary) with 11-50 employees and maintains a multi-stakeholder development ecosystem including CDMOs (WuXi AppTec, Dong-A ST, Pharmaron, Hanmi Fine Chemical), clinical partners (Seoul National University Hospital, Bundang CHA Hospital), and academic collaborators (POSTECH for cryo-EM, Syntekabio for AI). Revenue mechanics are pre-commercial: the company generates limited fee-for-service revenue through specialized ion channel preclinical CRO services (19+ completed contracts including Korea Institute of Toxicology and pharmaceutical clients), licensing/tech transfer upfront payments from Hanlim Pharmaceutical (KRW 15B for RCI001 in 2021, KRW 7B for RCI001U in 2023), co-development with French Veterinary Pharma/Ceva for animal health, and cumulative government grant funding of approximately $4M+. The company holds 10 patent families with 35 filings across 11 countries (4 granted in Korea, US, and Japan) and is preparing for KOSDAQ IPO with Samsung Securities selected as lead underwriter in 2025.

Name

RudaCure

Legal name

RudaCure Co., Ltd.

Website

https://rudacure.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RudaCure is a South Korean clinical-stage biotech using its proprietary RuCIA AI platform to develop non-opioid ion channel-targeted therapeutics for chronic pain, dry eye disease, and sensory disorders, with lead asset RCI001 in FDA Phase 2 trials.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Drug Development

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Therapeutic-Area CROs (e.g., oncology/rare disease) (HLAGAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV) (HLAGAAAA), Preclinical CROs (Discovery/Pharmacology/DMPK) (HLAGAAAB), Regulatory Strategy & IND/NDA/BLA Submissions Support (HLAIALAH)

Keywords

• Ion channel therapeutics
• Non-opioid pain treatment
• AI drug discovery
• Dry eye therapeutics
• Preclinical CRO services

Headquarters

HQ city

Incheon

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Human Pharmaceuticals: Revenue from development and commercialization of human therapeutics including dry eye disease treatment RCI001, non-opioid pain treatment RCI002, and other pipeline candidates through global licensing deals and direct sales
2. Veterinary Medicines: Revenue from veterinary pharmaceutical products including RCI001AH for animal health, developed through partnership with French Veterinary Pharma and co-development with Onhil/Onhil Pet
3. CRO Services: Fee-for-service preclinical CRO services including drug efficacy evaluation, in vivo/in vitro evaluation, and FLIPR Penta high-throughput screening for ion channel drug discovery
4. API Supply: Active pharmaceutical ingredient supply through partnerships with WuXi AppTec and Hanmi Fine Chemical for GMP production

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RudaCure is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing non-opioid therapeutics for chronic pain and dry eye disease using its proprietary RuCIA AI platform. The company advances pipeline drug candidates (RCI001, RCI002, RCI003, RCI0165, RC0125 AAV) targeting ion channels (TRPV1, TRPA1, TRPV4, Nav) toward licensing and co-development partnerships with global pharmaceutical companies, while also offering specialized preclinical CRO services for ion channel drug evaluation.

Product overview

RudaCure is an AI-driven biotech company developing non-opioid therapeutics for pain and sensory diseases through its proprietary RuCIA AI platform. The portfolio includes RCI001 (FDA Phase 2 dry eye treatment), RCI002 (pre-clinical non-opioid pain treatment), RCI003 (psoriasis discovery), RCI0165 (veterinary gene therapy), and RC0125 AAV (orphan disease gene therapy). The company also offers specialized ion channel preclinical CRO services including drug efficacy evaluation, in vivo/in vitro studies, and FLIPR-based high-throughput screening.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RCI001 US FDA Phase 2 / Korea Phase 2 dry eye disease treatment targeting TRPV1-Rac1 downstream signal modulation. Anti-inflammatory/antioxidant mechanism that overcomes steroid limitations, providing rapid tear secretion recovery and corneal wound healing without IOP elevation or steroid side effects. Licensed to Hanlim Pharma for domestic Korean rights.
• RCI002 Pre-clinical MOR biased dual-target non-opioid analgesic simultaneously modulating TRPV1 and MOR for chronic pain relief. Provides zero hyperthermia, long-lasting pain relief without addiction or tolerance risk. Targeting 650x lower efficacious concentration versus existing treatments with 2+ weeks pain relief from single dose in preclinical osteoarthritis model.
• RCI003 Psoriasis treatment in discovery stage using AI drug platform-based selective modulation of psoriasis target proteins, leveraging RudaCure's TRPV1 ion channel expertise applied to skin disease ion channels. Consortium partnership with Sogang University (synthesis) and Inje University (efficacy evaluation).
• RCI0165 Veterinary pain treatment using AAV vector-based TRPV1-targeted gene therapy designed for single administration providing 3+ months sustained pain relief in companion animals and racehorses.
• RC0125 AAV AAV vector-based gene therapy targeting intracellular TRPV4 channel for orphan disease development (CMT2C - Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2C), with plans to expand to related disorders including osteoarthritis.
• Ion Channel Preclinical CRO Services Specialized preclinical CRO services for pharmaceutical companies and research institutes evaluating chronic pain and dry eye disease drug candidates targeting TRPV1, TRPA1, and Nav ion channels. Services include drug efficacy evaluation, in vivo and in vitro studies, FLIPR Penta high-throughput screening, BK channel evaluation, pain modulation efficacy studies, TRPA1/TRPV1 ion channel functional inhibition assays, ocular surface damage evaluation, PK and toxicity studies, and SEND data processing for US FDA submissions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% faster development timeline (3-5 years vs 10-15 years traditional)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and major.

• French Veterinary Pharma (Ceva)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Veterinary co-development partnership for RCI001AH animal health application. Discussions began at Bio-Europe Spring 2023 with Ceva. March 2024 visit to RudaCure Seoul office by Ceva BD team to advance joint research. Global veterinary pain treatment market approximately $2B annually.
• Hanlim PharmaceuticalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Major domestic licensing deal for RCI001 and RCI001U dry eye treatments. KRW 15B tech transfer completed in April 2021. Co-research arrangement for corneal treatment development. Second tech transfer for RCI001U corneal ulcer and corneal damage treatment completed in January 2023.
• Bundang CHA HospitalstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2019Spine regeneration therapy co-development combining CHA's stem cell regenerative technology with RudaCure's pain control technology for degenerative disc disease and spinal cord injury treatments.
• WuXi AppTecmajorTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership signed in 2026 with world's largest CDMO. WuXi AppTec provides CDMO and process development services, connecting RudaCure to global clinical development networks.
• Hanmi Fine ChemicalmajorTechnology or IntegrationGMP production partnership for RCI001 and RCI002 manufacturing. Hanmi Fine Chemical handles active pharmaceutical ingredient and drug product production.
• Seoul National University HospitalstrategicTechnology or IntegrationClinical trial conducting organization providing third-party validation for RudaCure's clinical programs. Supports Phase 2 trial execution.
• POSTECHstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCryo-EM and mechanism of action validation partnership. Prof. Dohun Kwon conducts joint research on TRPV1 structure-activity relationships using cryo-electron microscopy. 2025 seminar on TRPV1 structural analysis.
• DT&CROmajorTechnology or IntegrationToxicology testing agency partnership. MOU signed December 2024 for research collaboration supporting preclinical development of pipeline candidates.
• Dong-A STmajorTechnology or IntegrationCDMO partnership for contract development and manufacturing of clinical trial materials.
• PharmaronmajorTechnology or IntegrationCDMO partnership for drug development and manufacturing services supporting global clinical advancement.
• Gachon University Gil HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing research partnership for ocular disease research. Gil Hospital geriatric eye disease patent transfer in December 2019. Joint research on MMP9 biomarker in dry eye patients published in academic journals.
• Hallym University HospitalstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAR-T/ADC co-research MOU signed December 2023 for advanced therapy development.
• Onhil Co., Ltd. / Onhil Pet Co., Ltd.strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerComprehensive MOU signed March 2023 for veterinary drug development, production, and sales. Co-developing companion animal treatments including ear inflammation, dry eye, corneal damage, and dermatological formulations. Onhil supplies world's first 3-month long-acting heartworm vaccine.
• SyntekabiostrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerAI-based anticancer drug discovery contract and psoriasis treatment collaboration. Syntekabio STB AI platform used for RCI003 target protein analysis. Selected for Collabo R&D in 2024 and Phase 2 in 2026.
• Korea Institute of ToxicologystrategicTechnology or IntegrationSEND data processing partnership for non-clinical data required for US FDA submissions. RudaCure carried out SEND processing for Phase 2 clinical trials.
• Sogang University / Inje UniversitystrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerRCI003 psoriasis consortium: Sogang University handles compound synthesis and optimization, Inje University conducts candidate compound efficacy evaluation.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Atomwise: AI-driven small-molecule discovery platform focused on chemistry generation and lead identification. Highly comparable to RudaCure's RuCIA platform in using AI to accelerate hit-to-lead timelines against novel targets.
• Trevena Inc. Focused on non-opioid pain therapeutics with FDA-approved oliceridine (TRV027 / Olinvo). Closely comparable to RudaCure's RCI002 in targeting the opioid-receptor / pain pathway with non-addictive mechanisms.
• Cara Therapeutics: Develops peripherally acting kappa opioid receptor (KOR) agonists for pruritus and chronic pain without addiction risk. Directly comparable to RudaCure's mission of non-opioid pain management.
• Kala Bio: Specialty ophthalmic biotech developing novel therapeutics for dry eye and rare eye diseases. Directly comparable in addressing steroid-limitation-driven dry eye indications where RCI001 also competes.
• Insilico Medicine: Clinical-stage AI-biotech with end-to-end AI drug discovery pipeline advancing multiple internal assets through IND and Phase 1/2 trials. Direct comparable as both an AI-platform developer and an internal clinical-stage drug developer.
• BenevolentAI: AI-augmented drug discovery with internal clinical pipeline using knowledge graphs and machine learning. Comparable platform-plus-pipeline model to RudaCure.
• Recursion Pharmaceuticals: AI-driven biology platform operating internal pipelines across rare diseases and oncology. Highly comparable mission (platform + internal pipeline) at greater scale and public-market maturity.

Emerging players

• Pharvaris: Late-stage clinical biotech developing peptide-based therapies for hereditary angioedema and other sensory / swelling disorders. Comparable in peptide therapeutic format and rare-disease licensing playbook.
• Levicept Ltd. Clinical-stage biotech developing non-opioid neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) modulator LEVI-04 for chronic osteoarthritis pain. Comparable therapeutic and patient-population focus to RCI002.

Regional players

• Bioray Laboratories: Specialized preclinical ion-channel CRO services and bioanalytical testing in Asia. Comparable to RudaCure's CRO services business unit that offers FLIPR/patch-clamp and electrophysiology validation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rudacure

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RudaCure