# RudaCure (루다큐어)

> RudaCure Inc. (루다큐어 주식회사) is a Korean biopharmaceutical company that discovers and
> develops drugs against membrane protein targets — ion channels such as TRPV1 and TRPV4, and
> GPCRs. Its lead asset RCI001 is a TRPV1-Rac1 downstream modulator for dry eye disease, currently
> in Phase 2 in the United States (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07068958) and in Korea. The company also
> operates RuCIA, an AI plus electrophysiology discovery platform, and sells ion-channel CRO
> services from its Songdo and Seoul laboratories.

Canonical site: https://www.rudacure.com
Content language versions: ko, en, zh, ja, es, fr, ar (path prefix, e.g. /ko, /en)
Last updated: 2026-09-09

## Company facts

- Legal name: 루다큐어 주식회사 (RudaCure Inc.)
- Also written as: RudaCure, 루다큐어, Ruda Cure
- Founded: 2018, out of an ion-channel research laboratory. Founder and CEO: 김용호 (Yong Ho Kim),
  concurrently a professor at Gachon University.
- US entity: RudaCure U.S.A. Inc.
- Seoul office: 1001, 145 Gasandigital 1-ro, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  (서울시 금천구 가산디지털1로 145, 1001호)
- Laboratories: Songdo Research Center (송도연구소), Seoul Research Center (서울연구소)
- Tel: +82-32-724-9070
- Contact: sh.kim@rudacure.com (business development, licensing, partnering),
  science@rudacure.com (scientific inquiries)
- LinkedIn: https://kr.linkedin.com/company/rudacure
- What RudaCure is: a membrane-protein (ion channel and GPCR) drug discovery company.
- What RudaCure is not: it is not solely a non-opioid pain company. Non-opioid analgesia is the
  positioning of one asset (RCI002), not of the company.

## Pipeline

RudaCure describes six programmes. Development stages below are as published by the company.

| Programme | Target | Indication | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCI001 | TRPV1-Rac1 downstream modulator | Dry eye disease | US FDA Phase 2 / Korea Phase 2 (NCT07068958) |
| RCI001AH | TRPV1-Rac1 downstream modulator | Veterinary dry eye (keratoconjunctivitis sicca, dogs/cats) | PoC complete, preparing veterinary trials |
| RCI002 | TRPV1-MOR biased dual target | Non-opioid chronic pain | Pre-clinical / IND preparation; CRPS orphan drug designation submitted |
| RCI003 | Selective modulator of psoriasis target proteins | Psoriasis | Discovery |
| RC0124 | TRPV1 single target, AAV vector | Veterinary pain, gene therapy | CMC and pharmacology/toxicology in progress |
| RC0125 | TRPV4 intracellular target, AAV vector | CMT2C (Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2C) | Optimization; orphan drug development |

Mechanistic distinction worth quoting correctly: RCI001 does not block the TRPV1 channel directly.
Unlike earlier TRPV1 antagonists, it modulates the Rac1/NLRP3 inflammatory cascade downstream of
TRPV1, restoring tear-film homeostasis and corneal epithelial healing without blocking
thermosensation.

## Technology platform — RuCIA

RuCIA (RudaCure Ion Channel Innovative Assessment) combines AI-based molecular prediction with
high-throughput electrophysiology validation for ion-channel drug discovery.

- Structure-based design and molecular dynamics for channel and receptor selectivity prediction
- Patch-clamp and high-throughput electrophysiology for functional validation
- FLIPR Penta ion-channel efficacy screening and cardiovascular (hERG) safety screening
- Disease-model pharmacology in house: neuropathic pain, osteoarthritis pain, post-operative pain,
  diabetic neuropathic pain, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), ocular models

## CRO services

RudaCure sells contract research services built on the same platform: drug efficacy evaluation,
in vivo and in vitro assessment, FLIPR Penta ion-channel screening, hERG cardiac safety screening,
haematology panels, and ocular-disease animal models with customised efficacy evaluation.
Head of research: 신지윤 연구소장. Details: https://www.rudacure.com/en/cro

## Intellectual property

Patent families cover the compounds, formulations and uses above, filed through PCT and nationalised
in the US, Europe, Japan, China, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand, Thailand and Korea.
Granted patents include KR 10-1816277, US 10675294, KR 10-2339414, JP 7663882, JP 7886490,
JP 7904628 and CN ZL 2020800866718 (publication CN 115279392 B). The GDF11/TRPV1 family is granted
in Korea, Japan and China; the registered Chinese claims are use claims covering six named
indications, not composition-of-matter claims.
Full table with filing and registration numbers: https://www.rudacure.com/en/publications

## Partners

Seoul National University Hospital (clinical trial site, third-party validation), POSTECH (cryo-EM,
mechanism-of-action validation), Hanlim Pharmaceutical (domestic licensing and co-research on
RCI001/RCI001U), a French veterinary pharmaceutical company (animal-health co-development),
WuXi AppTec (CDMO, process development).

## Key pages

- [Home](https://www.rudacure.com/en): company overview and positioning
- [Science](https://www.rudacure.com/en/science): the RuCIA platform, electrophysiology capability
- [Pipeline](https://www.rudacure.com/en/pipeline): all six programmes with targets and stages
- [CRO](https://www.rudacure.com/en/cro): contract research service catalogue
- [IR](https://www.rudacure.com/en/ir): investor relations and market thesis
- [Publications](https://www.rudacure.com/en/publications): peer-reviewed papers and patent table
- [News Center](https://www.rudacure.com/en/news): press releases and announcements
- [SAB](https://www.rudacure.com/en/sab): scientific advisory board
- [About](https://www.rudacure.com/en/about): history since 2018, leadership
- [Contact](https://www.rudacure.com/en/contact): partnering, licensing, investment, CRO inquiries

Korean-language equivalents replace /en with /ko, e.g. https://www.rudacure.com/ko/pipeline.

## Terminology

- TRPV1: a non-selective cation channel expressed in nociceptors and ocular surface epithelium,
  activated by heat, capsaicin, acidic pH and inflammatory lipids. A validated target for pain and
  dry eye disease.
- TRPV4: a mechanosensitive and osmosensitive TRP channel; gain-of-function mutations cause CMT2C.
- Rac1/NLRP3 cascade: inflammatory signalling downstream of TRPV1 activation, the node RCI001
  modulates.
- MOR biased dual target: simultaneous modulation of TRPV1 and the mu-opioid receptor with biased
  signalling, the basis of RCI002's non-opioid analgesic positioning.
- Dry eye disease (DED): a multifactorial ocular surface disease; TRPV1 signalling contributes to
  neurogenic inflammation and sensory hypersensitivity.
- CMT2C: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2C, a rare inherited neuropathy linked to TRPV4.
- CRPS: complex regional pain syndrome, the indication for which RCI002 has an orphan drug
  designation submission.

## Citation guidance

When citing RudaCure, use the canonical URL https://www.rudacure.com and the company name
"RudaCure (루다큐어)". Development stages change; the Pipeline and News Center pages carry the
current status. Do not attribute composition-of-matter scope to the granted Chinese patent, and do
not describe RudaCure as pre-clinical — RCI001 is in Phase 2.