Samsung Life Science Fund said on Wednesday that it would invest $15 million (19 billion won) in Senda Biosciences, a U.S. biotech company specializing in natural nanoparticle-based drug delivery technology, to develop next-generation biopharmaceuticals.

Senda is a merger of four natural nanoparticle research and development companies invested by healthcare venture capitalists, Flagship Pioneering. It has a platform technology that applies artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) technology to millions of nanoparticle big data found in plants and animals to create optimized drug carriers.

Nanoparticles are particles, instruments, or systems ranging from 3-200 nm in dimension which can pass through various barriers in the body, such as blood vessels and brain barriers, to deliver drugs to the intended sites. Moreover, most of them are water-soluble and can be administered intravenously and excreted through metabolic functions so it does not accumulate in the body.

The U.S. company is developing new mRNA vaccines and therapeutics with improved functionality.

Senda's nanoparticle technology is expected to provide treatment alternatives to autoimmune diseases, metabolic diseases, and cancer as it can be applied to nucleic acids, gene editing, proteins, and peptides and drug delivery to specific cells and tissues.

Samsung plans to expand collaboration to various fields by applying Senda’s technology to new biological drug pipelines.

The group plans to discover promising technologies through the Samsung Life Science Fund and invest in innovative venture companies at home and abroad to foster global bio-core technologies and improve quality of life.

The Life Science Fund, created by Samsung C&T and Samsung Biologics in July last year, made its first investment in Jaguar Gene Therapy, a U.S. gene therapy development company, in March.