SK Biopharmaceuticals said on the 22nd that it signed a joint research agreement with China-based artificial intelligence (AI) drug discovery company Insilico Medicine to develop treatments for central nervous system (CNS) diseases. It is the first partnership disclosed by a domestic corporations ahead of the opening of the world's largest biotech partnering event, "BIO International Convention 2026."
The two companies plan to identify multiple new targets and derive drug candidates in the CNS neuroimmunology field, where unmet need is high. SK Biopharmaceuticals aims to broaden into new therapeutic areas based on the CNS research and development capabilities secured through "Cenobamate (U.S. name Xcopri)."
This agreement is the first case of "AI-based drug discovery" realized through the Open Innovation Center (OIC) that SK Biopharmaceuticals launched last year. In the research process, SK Biopharmaceuticals will lead target selection and step-by-step validation, while Insilico will support candidate discovery using its proprietary AI platform "Pharma.AI."
The deal is worth up to $2.57 billion (about 4 trillion won). The upfront payment is $4.5 million (about 6.9 billion won). After initial research, SK Biopharmaceuticals will handle clinical development, manufacturing, and commercialization. SK Biopharmaceuticals will also hold ownership of candidates derived through the joint research and the global development and commercialization rights.
SK Biopharmaceuticals expects to cut candidate discovery time and expense by using Insilico's AI platform. The company plans to expand its "scalable research and development (R&D) lab" model, which combines external technology with its internal research system, using this collaboration as a springboard.
It also plans to strengthen its in-house AI drug development capabilities by using molecular design data and structure-activity relationship (SAR) data accumulated during the joint research process.
Alex Zhavoronkov, head of Insilico Medicine, said, "CNS diseases are a field Insilico has studied for a long time," adding, "By combining AI-based research capabilities with SK Biopharmaceuticals' global development capabilities, we can increase the chances of developing new treatments."
Lee Dong-hoon, president of SK Biopharmaceuticals, said, "This is a collaborative model that connects the research capabilities of Asia's AI drug development ecosystem with U.S. clinical and commercialization infrastructure," adding, "We will develop it into a platform that can be applied to future new target discovery."