GC Biopharma develops AI model to predict joint disease in hemophilia patients

GC Biopharma has launched a collaborative initiative with the Korea Hemophilia Foundation and Seoul National University College of Pharmacy to develop an AI-powered prediction model for joint disease in hemophilia patients, the company announced Thursday.

GC Biopharma proposed the project in April, and it gained momentum when the two institutions joined the effort. This marks the first time a Korean company has developed a predictive program for joint disease in hemophilia patients, aimed at improving their quality of life.

Hemophilia patients lack clotting factors, making them prone to frequent joint hemorrhages (bleeding into joints) even from minor impacts. Repeated bleeding causes chronic joint damage, severely limiting mobility through osteoporosis (bone loss), osteophyte proliferation (excess bone growth), and fibrotic contractures (joint stiffness caused by scar tissue). As a result, the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) and the European Haemophilia Treatment Standards Board (EHTSB) recommend regular joint health monitoring.

Prophylactic therapy can significantly reduce joint bleeding in patients with hemophilia. Starting treatment before age three greatly increases the likelihood of maintaining normal joint function. An international study using MRI scans in pediatric patients under three found that the prophylaxis group had a 7 percent incidence of joint pathology, compared with 45 percent in the on-demand group.

Studies in adolescent and adult patients have shown similar improvements in the prophylaxis group, including reduced annual bleeding frequency, better Pettersson Scores, and higher quality-of-life measures.

About 70 percent of severe hemophilia patients in Korea experience joint disease. However, the implementation rate of prophylactic therapy remains low. As a result, experts have consistently called for patient-tailored predictive models and systematic early management systems.

GC Biopharma plans to develop a joint-damage prediction model using AI and machine learning techniques. The company will apply these methods to about 20 years of real-world big data from Korean hemophilia patients.

This model will use actual data from patients treated with GC Biopharma’s hemophilia products, such as GreenMono and Greengene F, to help medical professionals develop optimal treatment strategies for each patient. The company plans to complete model development by next year and aims to submit the results to an international academic journal in the second half of the same year.

“Following WAPPS-HEMO, we are expanding our platform to improve the quality of life for Korean hemophilia patients,” said Choi Bong-gyu, Head of the AID (AI & Data Science) Center at GC Biopharma. “We will create a patient-centered treatment environment through precision medicine powered by AI and machine learning.”

Since 2022, GC Biopharma has supported clinicians in determining optimal dosing amounts and intervals for hemophilia patients through WAPPS-HEMO, a personalized software platform based on individual pharmacokinetic profiles.