SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- By Lee Han-soo/Korea Biomedical Review correspondent –Flagship Pioneering, a company specializing in bioplatform innovation, and Samsung have announced a collaboration to enhance biopharmaceutical innovation on Monday. This partnership aims to utilize advanced technologies in translational science and medicine to potentially transform healthcare practices.

Flagship Pioneering is a life sciences innovation enterprise that focuses on originating and growing bio-realted companies.

Founded in 2000 by Noubar Afeyan, this firm specializes in identifying, creating, and developing groundbreaking science and technology that can lead to significant breakthroughs in the healthcare sector. The company already founded more than 100 first-in-category bioplatform companies.

Under this new agreement, Samsung will join forces with companies founded by Flagship Pioneering. The collaboration is designed to combine Samsung's technological prowess with Flagship's expertise in life sciences.

The partnership marks an expansion of the ongoing cooperation between Samsung and Flagship, building on their mutual expertise in life science technology, artificial intelligence, and contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) services. It extends across Flagship's ecosystem of companies, with Samsung investing in Flagship-founded companies and leveraging its advanced clinical trials infrastructure.

Key highlights of this collaboration include the use of revolutionary technology to foster biopharmaceutical innovation and a shared vision to revolutionize drug discovery and development.

In a Q&A, Korea Biomedical Review delve deeper with Flagship Pioneering Managing Partner Stephen Berenson to understand the impact of this collaboration on the future of healthcare and patient care.

Berenson began the interview by recounting his longstanding admiration for Samsung, a relationship that predates his tenure at Flagship.

"I have been following Samsung for a long time, and I acknowledge the depth of Samsung's capabilities and character, which I became familiar with during my previous career as an investment banker," he said. "The collaboration we announced today is rooted in a convergence of Samsung's complementary strengths, ranging from its strong electronics business, which has significant machine learning and AI capabilities, to drug development and manufacturing capabilities."

Berenson stressed that this partnership will enable Samsung to more deeply understand all the capabilities of Flagship companies.

"We are also already working on specific opportunities, whether it be clinical trials, or access to samples, investment opportunities, process development, and manufacturing," he said.

According to Berenson, Samsung's extensive capabilities in CDMO and biosimilars under Samsung Biologics and Samsung Bioepis will also play a major role.

"Samsung Biologics' excellence in process development and execution aligns perfectly with our needs as the company is known for efficiency and effectiveness, which is crucial for our companies," he said. "Flagship specializes in new medical modalities beyond small molecules or antibodies, which means that Samsung Biologics’ process development and manufacturing acumen are vital for our success in these new platforms."

Regarding investment, Berenson explained Samsung's significant role in accelerating new therapies.

"Samsung is already a key investor in our Sail BioMedicines, and this is just the beginning," he said. "Their investment could revolutionize our biotech ventures."

Flagship companies periodically raise money in order to finance their operations, such as Series B and C, and what Flagship has agreed with Samsung is on a regular basis, Flagship and Samsung will get together and share Flagship companies' forward pipeline and give Samsung an opportunity to learn about these companies and find companies that could be of interest to them, he added.

Berenson stressed that this may lead to further investment in other Flagship companies, which could range from financial to strategic investments, aligning closely with the two parties' collaborative goals.

When asked about Flagship's interest in the Korean biotech industry, Berenson expressed enthusiasm but noted practical limitations.

"Our primary operation is in Cambridge, and the notion of setting up an operation in Korea is probably beyond our set of capabilities right now," he said. "However, our new Asia Pacific hub, led by Andre Andonian, who has deep connections in Korea, will be a portal for us to further our relationships with Korean companies, government officials, and hospitals."

Discussing the collaboration in clinical trials, Berenson highlighted the potential collaboration with the Samsung Medical Center, which is run by Samsung Life Public Welfare Foundation.

"The hospital's clinical trials expertise and vast patient sample bank are invaluable," he said. "We foresee many Flagship companies conducting clinical trials through this premier medical center."

Berenson expressed his optimism about the broader impacts of this collaboration on healthcare.

"Our shared objective is to make a significant impact on patient care," he said. "Whether it's through advanced process development, access to crucial medical samples, or Samsung's investment, the possibilities are vast and exciting."

Concluding the interview, Berenson offered a positive outlook for biotech investment in 2024, despite recent economic challenges.

"In 2022 and 2023, the capital markets environment was tough for biotech companies, interest rates were rising, uncertainty was rising across the globe, and a lot of investors pulled back from making more risky investments," he said. "What we've seen over the last couple of months is a reversion, with the XBI, which is the main biotech index in the U.S., rising and more M&A activity."

The biotech sector is rebounding, and Flagship is optimistic about a return to positivity in biotech capital markets, he added.