Cha Vaccine Institute and Pharos iBio have partnered to discover next-generation immunotherapies using artificial intelligence technology.
Cha Vaccine Institute is developing immunotherapies utilizing its proprietary immune enhancer platform, L-pampo.
In clinical studies, L-pampo has shown strong antitumor effects when administered alone and the potential to overcome the limitations of existing immune checkpoint inhibitors when combined with other therapies.
Under their agreement, Pharos iBio will use its big data and AI technology-based drug discovery platform, Chemiverse, to develop new drug candidates optimized for anticancer drugs. Cha Vaccine Institute will begin developing next-generation immunotherapies based on these new candidates.
The market for new drug development using AI is multiplying.
According to the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association (KPBMA)'s "Global Issue Panorama No. 4," the global market size for AI drug development will grow 45.7 percent annually from $698 million in 2022 to about $4 billion in 2027.
AI drug development for immunotherapies accounts for the largest share, with 44.5 percent.
"By applying AI technology to our independently developed immune enhancement platform, we are reducing the cost and time of new drug development in the anticancer field and developing more advanced drugs," Cha Vaccine Institute CEO Yum Jung-Sun said. "We will create a new paradigm for AI-based drug development through collaboration with Pharos iBio."
Pharos iBio CEO Yoon Jeong-hyuk said, "By making the most of the advanced technologies of Pharos iBio and Cha Vaccine Institute, we will be able to conduct more efficient research and development."
Yoon added that his company looks forward to developing next-generation immunotherapies that will overcome unmet needs in the market.