ICGM

What ICGM does

ICGM (Innovation Center for Gene Medicine / 유전자의약 이노베이션센터) is a government-supported gene medicine innovation center headquartered in Daejeon, South Korea, at the Chungnam National University (충남대학교) Science-Industry-Education Research Building Annex adjacent to Daejeon Techno Park Bio Center. Established in 2017 under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's (산업통상자원부) Creative Industry Foundation Support Project (창의산업거점기관지원사업), the center was co-founded by Chungnam National University Graduate School of New Drug Development and Daejeon Techno Park Bio Center and operates in close association with artiCure (알티큐어), a Korean biotech developing multimodal retroviral gene therapies for cancer. The legal-rights holder per the icgm.kr copyright is artiCure.

The center's product surface is built around viral vector technologies for gene and cell therapy development. Core offerings include AAV (Adeno-Associated Virus) and lentiviral vector plasmid distribution, GMP-grade AAV and lentiviral vector packaging, AAV and lentiviral vector validation/QC, CRISPR/Cas9 library screening, human antibody screening, antibody affinity maturation, technical strategy consultation, and shared research equipment. Underlying capabilities rest on GMP-compliant production infrastructure constructed at founding and on specialized scientific staff. There are no proprietary AI/ML or software components disclosed in the source material.

ICGM operates a fee-for-service contract research and manufacturing model, billing biotech and pharmaceutical companies as well as academic/research institutions on a per-project basis; pricing is not publicly disclosed and quotes are issued on inquiry. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales supplemented by thought-leadership activity (12+ issues of the ICGM Newsletter, seminars, Open Innovation Licensing Link Meetings, and participation in ASGCT, KSGCT, APCGCT, GBC, and KOREA LAB conferences). Geographic focus is domestic Korea, but 2025 partnerships with Taiwan-based TFBS Bioscience and Cellid indicate emerging cross-border CDMO ambitions. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, no venture funding rounds are reported, and primary financial backing derives from Korean government R&D programs rather than traditional VC channels.

Name

ICGM

Legal name

알티큐어 (artiCure)

Website

https://icgm.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ICGM is a Daejeon-based, government-supported gene medicine innovation center offering fee-for-service AAV and lentiviral vector manufacturing, validation, CRISPR screening, and antibody services to biotech, pharma, and academic clients in Korea, operating in association with artiCure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gene Therapy Contract Manufacturing

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Gene Therapy CMC/Process Development Platforms (capsid engineering, producer cell lines, plasmids, upstream/downstream) (HLAAACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gene Therapy Analytical Testing & QC (potency, vg/ddPCR, infectivity, RCL/RCA) (HLAAACAK), Gene Therapy Regulatory, Pharmacovigilance & Clinical Operations Services (HLAAACAM)

Keywords

• Gene therapy services
• Viral vector manufacturing
• AAV lentiviral production
• GMP contract manufacturing
• CRISPR library screening

Headquarters

HQ city

Daejeon (Daejeon)

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contract Research & Manufacturing Services: ICGM generates revenue by providing fee-for-service research and manufacturing contracts to biotech companies, pharmaceutical firms, and academic researchers. Services include AAV/lentiviral vector production, validation, CRISPR screening, and antibody services on a project basis. Revenue is contract/project-based, not recurring subscription.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ICGM operates as a gene therapy service center providing GMP-grade AAV and lentiviral vector manufacturing, vector validation, plasmid distribution, CRISPR/Cas9 library screening, and human antibody discovery and affinity maturation services. It serves as a one-stop platform for biotech and pharmaceutical companies developing gene and cell therapies, supported by Chungnam National University and Daejeon Techno Park Bio Center.

Product overview

ICGM (Innovation Center for Gene Medicine) operates as a comprehensive gene therapy service platform offering end-to-end solutions for gene and cell therapy development. The center provides a portfolio of services centered on viral vector technologies, including AAV (Adeno-Associated Virus) and Lentiviral vector plasmid distribution, GMP-grade vector manufacturing and packaging, and quality validation services. Additional offerings encompass CRISPR/Cas9 library screening, human antibody screening, and antibody affinity maturation services. The center also maintains shared research equipment facilities and operates under strict biosafety protocols. ICGM was established in 2017 through support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), with Chungnam National University College of Pharmacy and Daejeon Technopark Bio Center as participating institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy Consultation (기술상담)
• AAV Vector Plasmid Distribution (AAV 벡터 플라스미드 분양)
• Lentiviral Vector Plasmid Distribution (렌티바이러스 벡터 플라스미드 분양)
• AAV Vector Packaging (AAV 벡터 생산)
• Lentiviral Vector Packaging (렌티바이러스 벡터 생산)
• AAV Vector Validation (AAV 벡터 검증)
• Lentiviral Vector Validation (렌티바이러스 벡터 검증)
• CRISPR/Cas9 Library Screening Service (CRISPR/Cas9 라이브러리 스크리닝 서비스)
• Human Antibody Screening (인간 항체 스크리닝)
• Antibody Affinity Maturation (항체 친화력 증강)
• Shared Research Equipment (공동활용장비)

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• TFBS Bioscience Inc.coreTechnology or Integration · 28 August 2025artiCure (parent/operator of ICGM) and TFBS Bioscience Inc. (Taiwan's first viral vector CDMO) entered a collaboration for GMP retroviral vector manufacturing to accelerate clinical trials of innovative cancer gene therapy in Korea. TFBS provides GMP-grade viral vector CDMO services and GLP/GMP-compliant testing CRO services. The partnership combines artiCure's retroviral therapy development expertise with TFBS's manufacturing and testing capabilities, representing a pioneering Korea-Taiwan cooperation in the gene therapy industry.
• Cellid (셀리드)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2025Cellid and artiCure (ICGM's parent) signed an MOU to build an integrated CDMO solution combining Cellid's capabilities with artiCure's manufacturing platform to offer comprehensive gene therapy development services.
• Chungnam National University Graduate School of New Drug Development (충남대학교 신약전문대학원)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017ICGM was established in 2017 as a joint initiative between Chungnam National University Graduate School of New Drug Development (lead institution) and Daejeon Techno Park Bio Center (participating institution), supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's Creative Industry Foundation Support Project.
• Daejeon Techno Park Bio Center (대전테크노파크 바이오센터)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Daejeon Techno Park Bio Center is the co-establishing institution of ICGM alongside Chungnam National University, participating in the government-supported gene medicine innovation center.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Yposkesi: France-based CDMO specializing in AAV and lentiviral vector GMP manufacturing for cell and gene therapy clinical trials. Highly comparable service-line focus with European regulatory depth ICGM lacks.
• Aldevron: Global plasmid DNA, mRNA, and viral vector protein manufacturer serving gene therapy developers. Comparable as a CDMO supplying research- and GMP-grade biological starting materials, the same plasmid/viral vector niches ICGM serves.
• Genezen: US-based viral vector CDMO focused on AAV and lentiviral manufacturing for gene and cell therapy developers. Directly comparable in service mix (viral vector production, process development) and target customer profile.
• Vigene Biosciences: US-based viral vector CDMO offering AAV and lentiviral vector GMP manufacturing, plasmid production, and CRO services. Closely comparable as a focused viral vector service provider serving gene therapy developers.
• TFBS Bioscience: Taiwan's first viral vector CDMO offering GMP-grade manufacturing and GLP/GMP testing CRO services. Direct peer as ICGM's 2025 collaboration partner and a competing Asia-based AAV/lentiviral vector manufacturer serving gene therapy developers.
• Cellid: Korean cell and gene therapy company with CDMO ambitions that signed a 2025 MOU with artiCure/ICGM. Comparable as a Korean-headquartered gene therapy platform seeking integrated CDMO services.

Emerging players

• ToolGen: Korean gene-editing biotech with CRISPR platform capabilities that overlaps with ICGM's CRISPR/Cas9 library screening service line. Comparable as a Korean peer operating in gene medicine technology development.

Broad incumbents

• GenScript ProBio: Asia-Pacific CDMO offering viral vector, plasmid, and cell therapy manufacturing services. Comparable as a broader gene therapy CDMO competitor in the Asian market, with greater capacity and an established international client base.
• Samsung Biologics: Korea's largest CDMO with expanding cell and gene therapy manufacturing capacity. Comparable as a Korean-headquartered CDMO competitor, though Samsung Biologics serves a much broader biopharma client base at significantly greater scale.
• SK pharmteco: Korean-headquartered CDMO offering cell and gene therapy manufacturing services including viral vectors. Comparable as a Korean CDMO peer, though SK pharmteco operates at substantially larger scale across multiple modalities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icgmcnu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 ICGM