A team of South Korean scientists has developed an artificial antibody that is significantly more effective but cheaper than conventional antibody drugs, the team said Monday.

The new antibody, named Repebody, is manufactured by manipulating the structure of protein and can be custom-made to meet any needs, it said.

The simple manufacturing method enables mass production of the antibody, which will likely cut the price of new products to be developed to only 1 percent of existing antibody drugs, which currently cost about 1 million won ($887) per 1 milligram.

“Conventional antibodies inevitably came with shortcomings as their area of connection with antigens is limited and it is very difficult to alter their structures,” said Kim Hak-seong, a developer of the new antibody and a professor with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology.

“The artificial antibody will be a new protein-based drug that can effectively replace existing antibodies that are widely used as materials for various drugs,” he added.

The development team also includes Kim Dong-seop, another professor at KAIST. 

(Yonhap News)