A consortium led by Samjin pharm is taking on the development of innovative new drugs using quantum mechanics and artificial intelligence (AI).
Samjin pharm said on the 9th that it was selected as the lead institution for the Korean-style ARPA-H project promoted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the K-Health Future Initiative of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI).
The consortium consists of Samjin pharm, the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Seoul National University Hospital, and Quantum Intelligence–Namu ICT. The project will receive up to about 12.8 billion won in government funding over the next four years and six months.
The goal is to discover candidates using quantum mechanics and AI technologies and advance them into preclinical studies. The aim is to use quantum computing to address development halts caused by frequent bottlenecks at the target-binding prediction and candidate screening stages.
As the project management office (PMO), Samjin pharm plans to lead candidate synthesis and evaluation, preparation of the preclinical package, and commercialization strategy.
Lee Su-min, head of the research center and executive director at Samjin pharm, said, "The fusion of quantum and AI is an innovative tool that opens up molecular mechanisms of difficult targets that could not be reached through conventional computation," adding, "Through the Q-DrugX platform, Samjin pharm will establish a quantum–AI-based new drug development system with global competitiveness and present the possibility of developing new therapies in disease areas that have been difficult to treat."
Lee Chang-bok, PM of the K-Health Future Initiative, said, "We hope to succeed in quantum computing–based drug development to lead the global market and lay the groundwork for solving national healthcare challenges."