Seoul: South Korean biotech startup HTnB Inc. said Tuesday it has partnered with U.S. federal agencies to develop a next-generation medical countermeasure for radiation exposure.

According to Yonhap News Agency, HTnB signed a non-clinical evaluation agreement in June with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the United States to evaluate its candidate material, HT-02, for the treatment of gastrointestinal acute radiation syndrome, the company said in a press release.

Under the agreement, NIAID will sponsor and oversee the entire non-clinical evaluation process. HTnB will supply the lead candidate, while the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI) under the U.S. Department of Defense will conduct the evaluation, it said.

The evaluation will focus on verifying the safety, efficacy and survival-rate improvement potential of HT-02 in severe radiation exposure scenarios.

"This agreement shows our potential has been recognized by the U.S. government to deliver a globally innovative drug solution. We expect this evaluation to accelerate our path to FDA approval and commercialization," HTnB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Choi Seung-hong said.