Daewoong Pharma, Merck team up for AI tech for new drug

South Korea's Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on Tuesday it signed with memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Merck Life Science to build an artificial intelligence (AI)-based new drug development platform and provide technology support the entire cycle of the development process. 

Merck Life Science is a unit of bio-process-related solutions and raw materials of Merck's South Korean branch.

Under the agreement, Merck Life Science will provide the data and programs necessary for the drug development process, while Daewoong will incorporate them into its in-house web-based modeling platform for drug candidate discovery, verification, and monitoring.

In addition, Merck will support Daewoong with the necessary technology at all stages of drug development using "Synthia" and the "Antimicrobial Stewardship" (AMS) program.

Synthia is drug development software based on AI technology that offers synthesis methods and pathways for drug candidates. AMS is a platform that helps secure compound candidates quickly according to the paths discovered by Synthia.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical expects that this technology will enhance efficiency in its research process.

Write to Ji-Hyun Lee at bluesky@hankyung.com