Gradiant Bioconvergence and Dong-A ST to jointly research organoid-based new drugs

Gradient Bioconvergence announced on Friday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Dong-A ST to collaborate on early-stage drug development utilizing AI-based organoids and genome analysis.

Under this agreement, Gradiant Bioconvergence will utilize its core platform, patient-derived organoids (PDO), to conduct preclinical drug response and mechanism validation for Dong-A ST's new drug candidates related to cancer and brain diseases.

This will enable the acquisition of data closer to the patient environment than traditional animal experiments, thereby enhancing the clinical success potential of candidate compounds, according to Gradiant Bioconvergence.

Additionally, the two companies plan to concurrently conduct new target discovery and mechanism studies based on AI analysis and PDO-based big data. They aim to accelerate the development of patient-oriented next-generation therapeutics by combining their respective technological strengths, Gradiant Convergence said.

To this end, the two companies plan to precisely evaluate tumor-specific drug responses for Dong-A ST's anticancer pipeline, based on Gradiant Bioconvergence's approximately 1,000 cancer patient-derived organoids and NGS-based genomic data. This will contribute to clinical design optimization by predicting patient groups with high treatment efficacy through AI analysis.

Additionally, by applying Gradiant Bioconvergence’s human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-based brain organoid models, the collaboration aims to enable precise validation of the efficacy of pathological mechanisms underlying major brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and tauopathy, thereby contributing to the advancement of Dong-A ST's brain and neurological disease pipeline.

“The combination of Gradiant Bioconvergence's organoid platform and Dong-A ST's drug development capabilities will greatly enhance the precision and efficiency of the early stages of drug development,” Gradiant Bioconvergence CEO Rheey Jin-guen said. “We will combine the technical capabilities and resources of both companies to lead drug development more quickly and effectively.”

Kim Mi-kyung, head of Research Headquarters at Dong-A ST, said, “The combination of the two companies' technological capabilities and research capabilities will enable the discovery of unique drug targets and the selection of effective candidate compounds. We will work closely with Gradiant Bioconvergence to create innovative research results and strengthen our global competitiveness in new drug development.”