Lunit Partners with Daiichi Sankyo, Developer of "Enhertu," for AI Collaboration in Oncology Drug Development

Following Last Year’s AstraZeneca Deal, Another “Big Pharma” Collaboration This Year

Medical artificial intelligence (AI) company Lunit has announced a collaboration with global oncology leader Daiichi Sankyo to jointly develop new cancer drugs.

According to Lunit on December 16, the two companies have agreed to integrate Lunit’s AI biomarker platform, Lunit Scope, into two new oncology pipelines currently under development by Daiichi Sankyo. Through this partnership, they aim to discover new AI-based biomarkers. This agreement is drawing attention as it marks the adoption of AI as a core tool by a global pharmaceutical giant from the early stages of drug development.

The two companies plan to apply Lunit’s IHC (immunohistochemistry) quantitative analysis solution, “Lunit Scope uIHC,” to Daiichi Sankyo’s new oncology drug development projects in order to enhance the accuracy of quantitative analysis in IHC tissue testing.

In addition, they plan to utilize Lunit’s immunophenotyping analyzer, “Lunit Scope IO,” to conduct detailed analyses of immune phenotypes (IP) and immune cells within the tumor microenvironment.

Furthermore, the companies will ▲ discover new AI-based biomarkers, ▲ strengthen translational and clinical trial capabilities for new oncology drug development, and ▲ increase the efficiency of clinical trials by precisely identifying patient groups for the two oncology drugs using AI. Translational research refers to clinical studies that bridge basic laboratory research and actual patient clinical trials in both directions.

Seo Beomseok, CEO of Lunit, stated, “Whereas last year’s agreement with AstraZeneca focused on collaboration for existing marketed oncology drugs, this new agreement marks the first time Daiichi Sankyo is introducing AI technology into its new drug development process. This partnership with a major pharmaceutical company is not merely a collaboration, but signifies the beginning of a new era in drug development based on AI biomarkers.”

Daiichi Sankyo is a global leader in the field of new drug development, having created the blockbuster ADC (antibody-drug conjugate) “Enhertu.” The company possesses multiple next-generation oncology pipelines and is focused on new drug development. Notably, Daiichi Sankyo’s adoption of Lunit’s AI highlights the emergence of AI as a central pillar in drug development strategies, which is expected to influence the entire global new drug development market going forward.

Meanwhile, Lunit is currently in in-depth discussions with 15 of the world’s top 20 pharmaceutical companies about introducing Lunit Scope into their oncology drug development processes. As a result, the likelihood of additional contracts with global pharmaceutical giants is increasing, which is expected to serve as a decisive momentum for further growth in Lunit’s business and corporate value.

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