ENCell Corp. (Korea)
Corporate brand
UnclaimedSouth Korean KOSDAQ-listed cell and gene therapy company providing GMP CDMO services and developing next-generation stem cell therapeutics.
Last updated September 26, 2026
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Overview
ENCell Corp. (이엔셀 주식회사) is a South Korean cell and gene therapy (CGT) company founded in March 2018 as a faculty startup by Professor Jang Jong-wook of Samsung Medical Center and Sungkyunkwan University. Headquartered in Seoul, the company operates at the intersection of two businesses: contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) services for advanced biopharmaceuticals, and its own pipeline of next-generation stem cell and gene therapies. On the CDMO side, ENCell operates global-standard GMP facilities and provides contract development and manufacturing as well as contract quality testing services. Its multi-product GMP production capability is built on its ROCKET platform, and it performs rigorous quality and characterization testing of raw materials, in-process controls (IPC), and drug substance/drug product (DS/DP) samples generated during production. The company has been designated as a Cell Processing Center (CPC) for Novartis's CAR-T therapy KYMRIAH® in Korea and as a Central Cell Processing Center (CCPC) for Janssen's CAR-T therapy, and it has expanded into areas such as botulinum toxin CDMO through partnerships. On the therapeutics side, ENCell focuses on next-generation mesenchymal stem cell therapies, anti-cancer immune cell therapies, and AAV gene therapies. Its lead pipeline, EN001, is an early-passage Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cell (WJ-MSC) product developed with its proprietary ENCT cell culture platform, targeting Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and sarcopenia. EN001 has received orphan drug designations in the United States and Europe for CMT, and its manufacturing technology was designated as a New Excellent Technology (NET) by Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in 2023, with the designation extended in 2026. The company is listed on the KOSDAQ market, having received approval for listing on August 21, 2024, with trading beginning on August 23, 2024. It has raised pre-IPO and Series A/B funding and has pursued international expansion, including a business partnership with Japanese healthcare company JK JAPAN to enter Japan's stem cell regenerative medicine market. ENCell also has activities in anti-aging and regenerative medicine, including a senolytic-based anti-aging ingredient 'N1' registered as an international cosmetic ingredient and plans for anti-aging mask packs, as well as a skin booster business based on SVF (stromal vascular fraction).
History
ENCell Corp. was established on March 21, 2018, as a faculty startup by Professor Jang Jong-wook of Samsung Medical Center and Sungkyunkwan University. The company began with its headquarters in Cheongdam-dong W Tower, 6th floor, and its first GMP plant at the Samsung Medical Center Future Medicine Building. In May 2018, it signed a CMO contract with Hanmi Pharmaceutical for anti-cancer gene and stem cell therapies, marking the start of its CMO business. In July 2018, it was selected for the TIPS program, and in August 2018, it passed the GMP inspection conducted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS). In 2019, ENCell purchased land for its second GMP plant in Hanam and was selected for an excellent performance award by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute. In 2020, it secured Series A funding of 10.1 billion KRW, began designing the second GMP plant, and entered a strategic technology partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific. It was selected as a bio-innovation growth company by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, obtained ISO 9001:2015 certification for its first GMP plant, and was designated as a Cell Processing Center (CPC) for Novartis's CAR-T therapy and as a Central Cell Processing Center (CCPC) for Janssen's CAR-T therapy. In 2021, ENCell obtained permits under the Advanced Regenerative Bio Act for 'human cell management business' and 'cell processing facility', received IND approval for Phase 1 clinical trials of its stem cell therapies for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), completed its second GMP plant in Hanam, and secured Series B funding of 25.6 billion KRW. It also received government awards, including from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. In 2022, ENCell received approval for its first and second/third GMP plants for advanced biopharmaceutical manufacturing, obtained orphan drug designations for CMT and DMD, completed the first patient dosing in the CMT clinical trial, won its first AAV production contract, and successfully raised pre-IPO investment of 24.2 billion KRW. It also opened a CCPC for Novartis's KYMRIAH® in Korea at its second GMP plant. In 2023, ENCell received IND approval for a repeat-dose Phase 1b/2a clinical trial of DMD, completed Phase 1 trials for CMT and DMD, obtained a cell processing facility permit for its second GMP plant, and was selected for national R&D projects. Its EN001 manufacturing technology was designated as a New Excellent Technology (NET) on September 26, 2023. In 2024, ENCell received approval for KOSDAQ listing on August 21, 2024, and its shares began trading on August 23, 2024. In February 2025, the company moved its headquarters to Songpa-daero 201, 17th floor (Songpa Terra Tower 2, Tower A) in Songpa-gu, Seoul. In December 2025, a patent for the use of EN001 in treating CMT was officially registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In 2026, ENCell continued to expand. It extended its NET designation for EN001 manufacturing technology by two years, registered a US patent for stem cell culture technology with Samsung Life Public Welfare Foundation, partnered with JK JAPAN to enter Japan's stem cell regenerative medicine market, recruited a CGT regulatory expert, filed a patent for a process technology quadrupling CAR-T cell yield, extended a joint voting agreement with Samsung Life Public Welfare Foundation and One & Partners, entered the anti-aging regenerative medicine field with an SVF-based skin booster business, registered its senolytic anti-aging ingredient 'N1' as an international cosmetic ingredient, opened an official IR Telegram channel, and signed an MOU with Diobile Labs to expand its CDMO business into botulinum toxin.
Founded as ENCell Corp. (이엔셀 주식회사)
Signed CMO contract with Hanmi Pharmaceutical for anti-cancer gene and stem cell therapies
Passed MFDS GMP inspection
Secured Series A funding of 10.1 billion KRW
Entered strategic technology partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific
Designated as CCPC for Janssen CAR-T therapy
Designated as CPC for Novartis CAR-T therapy
Secured Series B funding of 25.6 billion KRW
Received IND approval for Phase 1 clinical trial of CMT stem cell therapy
Completed second GMP plant in Hanam
Products and positioning
Global-standard GMP CDMO and first-in-class stem cell therapeutics developer
EN001
Early-passage Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cell (WJ-MSC) therapy for CMT, DMD, and sarcopenia, developed with ENCT platform.
ENCT
Proprietary cell culture platform that inhibits cell senescence and enhances anti-inflammatory and tissue regeneration factor secretion.
ROCKET
Multi-product GMP production technology platform for CDMO services.
N1
Senolytic-based anti-aging ingredient registered as an international cosmetic ingredient.
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