[Bio 의약]
SK chemicals
To minimize R&D trial and error… Collaboration with AI drug development companies
Increase investment in partners… Laying the foundation for joint research cooperation
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SK Chemicals researchers are conducting research on new drugs derived through open innovation. Provided by SK chemicals |
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SK chemicals, which opened the door for domestic new drugs by developing Korea’s first new drug Sunpla, is focusing on securing future food with a new R&D strategy through open innovation.
Developing new synthetic drug Sunpla, natural drug No. 1 Joins, and the world’s second cell-cultured flu vaccine, and collaborating with external companies with differentiated technology based on R&D capabilities accumulated in synthetic drugs and biotechnology, stepping up the development of new drugs is expanding
New drug development through open innovation
Open innovation is a concept proposed by Professor Henry Chesbrough at the University of Berkeley in 2003, and it aims to create new products or services while procuring the technology and ideas needed by a company from the outside and sharing internal resources with the outside. . It is being actively introduced by domestic pharmaceutical companies as it can utilize technology and infrastructure that companies do not possess through collaboration with the outside, and reduces the time and cost of doing the process on its own.
SK Chemicals decided to strengthen the new drug pipeline by forming an Open R&D Task Force (TF) in 2019 to lay the groundwork for open innovation, and expanding and reorganizing it into the ‘Open Innovation Team’ earlier this year.
The Open Innovation Team is organized as a regular organization under the R&D Center that oversees SK Chemicals’ R&D, and dedicated manpower will perform tasks at all times in three areas: new drug development, artificial intelligence (AI), and investment/partnering.
An official from SK Chemicals said, “We have formed a dedicated organization for the successful completion of the project, which has been underway since 2019, when tangible results are obtained in the search for new drug candidates through collaboration and to create additional innovative new drug development opportunities.”
Reduce development cost and time by combining artificial intelligence technology
The field that SK chemicals is most actively promoting is the development of new drugs through AI. Applying AI technology to the new drug development process has the advantage of dramatically reducing the cost and time required for new drug development by minimizing the trial and error that occurs in the traditional R&D process conducted in the laboratory.
In 2019, SK Chemicals started joint research on new drug candidates in collaboration with Standigm, an AI drug development company, and is promoting the search for new drug candidates using Standigm’s AI drug development platform. Last year, they decided to apply for a patent for a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and conduct joint clinical trials for a nonalcoholic steatohepatitis candidate discovered through Standard Platform Insight. In addition, Standigm opened its own synthesis research institute in the SK Chemicals building last year to strengthen synthesis research, while further solidifying communication and cooperation between SK chemicals and Standardigm.
SK chemicals is actively seeking R&D opportunities through open innovation with a number of AI drug development companies with different specialized areas as well as standard. AI companies that are collaborating with SK Chemicals include Dr. Noah, Simplex, and Deargen, in addition to Standard.
Collaborate with bio venture companies and expand investment
Not only AI, but also collaboration with new drug development ventures is being promoted at the same time. Last year, SK chemicals partnered with J2H Biotech, which develops treatments for rare and incurable diseases, and conducted joint research on new drugs using Optiflex, a synthetic drug platform technology owned by J2H Biotech, and Targeted Protein Degrader technology. is in progress SK chemicals will utilize J2H Biotech’s rich synthesis experience and capabilities, and J2H Biotech will utilize SK chemicals’ verification capabilities, clinical and licensing experience for joint research on new pipelines and development of its own pipelines. It is a form of synergy between the two companies by sharing the fields that each company is best at.
Investment in bio ventures has also been gradually increasing. For some open innovation partner companies that conduct joint research, strategic and direct investment is made to expand R&D-based cooperation, while investing in domestic and foreign venture capital companies bio funds and bio-specialized venture capitals based in the United States to explore promising bio ventures. is in full swing
Kim Jeong-hoon, head of SK Chemical’s R&D center, said, “Open innovation can utilize external technology and infrastructure, even in fields that the company does not own, so it will be able to conduct R&D activities more efficiently and widely.”
By Kwon Hyuk-il, staff reporter moragoheyaji@donga.com
ⓒ Dong-A Ilbo & donga.com, unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited
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