SK Chemicals said it has agreed with Cimplrx, an artificial intelligence-based new drug development company, for joint research and development of new drugs using AI.
Under the accord, the two companies plan to discover new drugs for specific indications and target proteins. Cimplrx intends to find new drug candidates using its CEEK-CURE. SK Chemicals will verify it and proceed with commercialization procedures such as clinical trials.
The two companies will co-own ㅑntellectual property rights for new drug candidates derived through this process, and licenses such as copyrights will belong exclusively to SK Chemicals.
Cimplrx's CEEK-CURE is an explainable AI program. It can store and explain drug discovery results and the derivation process, allowing the company to track, correct, and supplement the results quickly to discover new drug candidates.
"As AI projects over the years have shown tangible results, we have confirmed the potential of AI-based drug development platforms," SK Chemicals R&D Center Director Kim Jeong-hoon said. "In the case of Cimplrx, it is possible to check in detail the process of drawing the AI platform results."
The company also has many experts in new drug development, who can carry out the new drug R&D projects faster and more efficiently, Kim added.
Cimplrx CEO Cho Seong-jin also said, "Collaboration with SK Chemicals, which has succeeded in developing several new drugs, is an opportunity for the company to receive recognition for the value of our platform."
Cho added that the company would focus on deriving new drug candidates from the AI platform stage to commercialize new drug R&D projects quickly and efficiently.
Under the contract with Cimplrx, SK Chemicals plans to expand its AI-based drug development pipeline further.
SK Chemicals launched an open R&D task force in 2019 when the term AI-based new drug development was unfamiliar, signing a partnership with Standigm and jumpstarting its AI project.
Early this year, SK Chemicals and Standigm applied for a patent concerning a treatment material for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
In July, the two companies have also decided to conduct clinical trials for a non-alcoholic steatohepatitis treatment candidate discovered through Standigm's platform.
"SK Chemicals' strategy is to continuously strengthen its new drug portfolio by deriving new drug candidates based on AI," a company official said.