Dr.Noah Biotech, Thermo Fisher explore AI collabo for rare disease drug development

2025-08-01     Lee Han-soo

Dr.Noah Biotech, a Korean AI drug discovery company, said it has begun discussions with Thermo Fisher Scientific on a potential strategic collaboration to accelerate the development of treatments for rare diseases.

Dr. Noah Biotech and Thermo Fisher Scientific are exploring a strategic collaboration to combine AI-driven drug discovery and organoid models to accelerate rare disease drug development. (Screen captured from Dr. Noah Biotech website)

The collaboration aims to integrate Dr. Noah’s proprietary AI drug discovery platform “ARK” with Thermo Fisher’s AI-driven formulation technology “Quadrant 2” and its expertise in organoid model development. The companies plan to combine these capabilities to address unmet medical needs in rare diseases and improve the efficiency of drug development.

“Rare diseases often lack effective animal models or rely on models that do not accurately replicate human physiology, creating major hurdles in the preclinical stage,” a Dr.Noah official said. “By working with Thermo Fisher on organoid-based research, we hope to overcome these limitations.”

Under the proposed framework, Dr.Noah’s ARK platform would design promising combination drug candidates within months, followed by precise efficacy and toxicity testing in patient-derived organoid models.

Thermo Fisher’s Quadrant 2 technology would then optimize drug solubility and bioavailability, reducing both the time and cost needed to reach clinical trials.

This AI-based approach is expected to enable the rapid and precise development of combination drugs for ultra-rare conditions, ultimately expanding treatment options for patients worldwide.

Dr.Noah’s ARK platform has already demonstrated its potential, having led to the discovery of NDC-011, an investigational therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that has received U.S. FDA orphan drug designation and IND approval. Thermo Fisher, meanwhile, has been deploying AI and digital solutions across the drug development spectrum. Its Quadrant 2 technology is specifically designed to improve solubility and bioavailability, streamlining the path to clinical trials.

In addition, Thermo Fisher will support Dr. Noah’s research through its suite of organoid development tools, including specialized cell culture matrices, nunclon sphera plates, and 3D imaging software such as Amira, as well as its personnel and infrastructure in Korea.