On March 18, 2026, ETERN Therapeutics officially announced that its independently developed innovative drug for the treatment of pathological scars, ETD-001 gel, successfully completed the dosing of the first subject in its Phase I clinical trial. This marks a significant step forward for this innovative therapy, which focuses on a pressing clinical need, into the crucial stage of clinical validation. Notably, Zvast Biotechnology Co., Ltd., as the core service provider for the drug's preclinical efficacy research, leveraged its high-standard technical services and extensive experience in both China and the US to facilitate the successful preclinical review of ETD-001 gel, securing dual clinical trial approvals from both the Chinese CDE and the US FDA. This laid a solid foundation for its efficient clinical translation and demonstrated the strong capabilities of China's preclinical research field.

Focusing on essential clinical needs, innovative therapies break through the challenges of scar treatment.

Pathological scars are a common abnormal lesion in the skin wound healing process, characterized by abnormal proliferation of fibroblasts and excessive deposition of collagen fibers. They not only cause pain and itching but also affect the patient's appearance and mental health. Severe cases can lead to functional impairments such as limited joint mobility, making clinical treatment extremely urgent. According to Frost & Sullivan data, there are currently approximately 25 million patients with pathological scars worldwide, including 7.4 million in China, and this number is projected to exceed 10 million by 2030. The global scar treatment market is growing at a CAGR of 11.5%, reaching $63.4 billion by 2030, indicating enormous market potential. However, current conventional treatments such as surgical excision and laser therapy generally suffer from high recurrence rates and limited efficacy. The development and clinical advancement of ETD-001 gel is expected to fill this treatment gap, providing patients with a safer, more efficient, and convenient new treatment option.

Technology empowers Zvast-Bio to build a solid core barrier in preclinical trials.

As a key partner of ETERN Therapeutics, Zvast-Bio undertook the preclinical efficacy study of ETD-001 gel, leveraging its professional advantages to ensure the drug's successful entry into clinical trials. Founded in 2015, Zvast-Bio is a high-tech enterprise specializing in the research and development of animal models for human diseases. The company has built an SPF-grade animal facility that meets international AAALAC standards—AAALAC certification is an internationally recognized symbol of laboratory animal quality and biosafety standards, ensuring international standards in experimental research. Simultaneously, it has constructed a comprehensive standardized laboratory animal quality control system and a high-standard intelligent laboratory, providing solid hardware support for preclinical drug research.

Professional support helps innovative drugs achieve breakthroughs in dual US-China drug registration.

The rapid approval of ETD-001 gel by regulatory agencies in both China and the US is inseparable from the professional technical support of Zvast-Bio. Leveraging its high-standard animal model construction platform, Zvast-Bio provided comprehensive preclinical pharmacodynamics and related functional pharmacodynamic analysis services for this drug. With an experienced technical team compliant with FDA and NMPA new drug review requirements, they precisely controlled every aspect of preclinical research, ensuring the scientific validity, compliance, and reliability of research data. To date, the company has accumulated data from over 20 IND applications, possessing extensive experience in both China and the US. They can provide clients with one-stop technical services including in vitro and in vivo drug development studies and preclinical efficacy studies. Their digital pharmacodynamic screening technology effectively shortens the new drug development cycle and improves the success rate. The successful preclinical review of ETD-001 gel, its inclusion in China's CDE "30-day channel" (approval within 22 working days), and the acquisition of FDA IND approval in the US are authoritative testaments to Zhonghong Boyuan's preclinical research capabilities.

The successful completion of the first dose in Phase I clinical trials of ETD-001 gel is not only a significant breakthrough for ETERN Therapeutics in the field of skin health and anti-aging, but also a vivid demonstration of Zvast-Bio's preclinical technical service capabilities. As a high-tech enterprise deeply involved in the research and development of animal models for human diseases and preclinical evaluation, Zvast-Bio has become an important contributor to the innovative drug development process thanks to its core technological advantages, high-standard service system, and rich project experience.

Looking ahead, Zvast-Bio will remain committed to its professional mission, leveraging its proprietary core technologies and high-standard service platform to continuously enhance its preclinical research service capabilities. It will deepen cooperation with innovative pharmaceutical companies both domestically and internationally, focusing on unmet clinical needs and providing higher-quality, more efficient one-stop preclinical technical services to help more innovative drugs accelerate clinical translation and achieve global reach. Simultaneously, it will continue to deepen its expertise in the development of animal models for human diseases, strengthening technological innovation and talent cultivation to improve the quality and efficiency of domestic innovative drug development, contributing to the high-quality upgrading of my country's pharmaceutical industry and providing better treatment options for patients worldwide.