Dongwha Pharm and Simplex Collaborate on AI-Based Immune Disease Therapeutics Development

Jung Sung-jin, CEO of Simplex (left), and Hwang Yeon-ha, Director of Dongwha Pharm Research Institute, are taking a commemorative photo for the signing of the joint research and development agreement.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Dongwha Pharmaceutical announced on the 15th that it has signed a joint research and development agreement with AI-based new drug development venture Simplex to develop treatments for immune diseases.

The two companies will utilize Simplex's AI (Explainable AI) platform ‘CEEK-CURE’ to discover effective substances and optimal new drug candidates for immune disease treatments. Dongwha Pharmaceutical will synthesize and verify these effective substances and candidate substances, collaborating to secure promising pipelines. The results of the joint research will be co-owned by both companies, with Dongwha Pharmaceutical holding exclusive licensing rights.

Hwang Yeon-ha, head of Dongwha Pharmaceutical’s research institute, said, “AI-based new drug development is accelerating worldwide due to its advantage of efficiently deriving excellent candidate substances. We expect that joint R&D with Simplex, which possesses not only AI technology but also expertise in medicinal chemistry, will further enhance Dongwha Pharmaceutical’s competitiveness in the R&D field.”

Cho Sung-jin, CEO of Simplex, stated, “We are highly optimistic about new drug discovery through collaboration with Dongwha Pharmaceutical, which has excellent research capabilities. We will leverage Simplex’s proprietary technology to derive and optimize new drug candidates to achieve the best possible outcomes.”

Since the second half of last year, Simplex has been collaborating with numerous pharmaceutical companies and bio ventures such as Dong-A ST, SK Chemicals, and Shinpoong Pharmaceutical. It is currently preparing for Series B funding, aiming to complete it in the first half of this year. The Series B funding will be used to derive candidate substances and conduct preclinical evaluations for multiple internal pipelines.

Dongwha Pharmaceutical continues its efforts to strengthen its R&D pipeline. Earlier in January, it sought to discover new indications for AI-based anticancer drugs through an agreement with AI new drug venture Oncocross.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.