FRONTEO and Axcelead DDP Sign Master Collaboration Agreement for AI Drug Discovery Support Partnership

FRONTEO Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Masahiro Morimoto; hereinafter “FRONTEO”) and Axcelead Drug Discovery Partners Inc. (Headquarters: Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture; President: Nobuhiko Yamada; hereinafter “Axcelead DDP”) have entered into a master collaboration agreement for AI drug discovery support.

FRONTEO offers services that improve efficiency, accelerate drug discovery and increase the probability of success through its Drug Discovery AI Factory business, which uses proprietary AI specialized for hypothesis generation in the field of pharmaceutical R&D. Axcelead DDP has unique and comprehensive capabilities for drug discovery, which it leverages to support a diverse range of drug discovery players, including pharmaceutical companies, bioventures, academia and government-affiliated research institutions. Under this master collaboration agreement, FRONTEO’s hypothesis generation AI and Axcelead DDP’s drug discovery platform will be brought together to efficiently go through a cycle of hypothesis building by dry research (data analysis using computers and AI) and validation through wet research (biological experiments using cells, animals, etc.).

Hiroyoshi Toyoshiba, PhD, Executive Officer and CTO of FRONTEO, said “As our Drug Discovery AI Factory business continues to advance, we are encountering numerous client requests for outsourcing the validation of hypotheses that have emerged from dry research to the subsequent wet research phase. I’m happy that we have concluded this master collaboration agreement with Axcelead DDP to meet the needs of our customers and further contribute to the development of their drug discovery research and business, while raising the quality of healthcare.”

Masayuki Ii, PhD, CSO of Axcelead DDP, said “I am delighted that we will be able to strengthen our AI drug discovery support business through this partnership with FRONTEO, which excels in data analysis using hypothesis generation AI. We’ll be able to further accelerate our customers’ drug discovery by performing biological validation of hypotheses generated by FRONTEO’s AI engine, making use of our proprietary drug discovery capabilities. We will continue to contribute to the creation of innovative new drugs as a drug discovery platform company.”

About Axcelead DDP

Axcelead DDP is the first integrated drug discovery solutions provider in the pharmaceutical industry in Japan, having succeeded the drug discovery research capabilities of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and started its business in July, 2017. The company provides integrated services, from discovery of drug targets to optimization of small- and medium-molecule drug candidates, in which the company has particular expertise, and to the process of bridging the gap to clinical development. For more information, please visit
https://www.axcelead.com/en/

About FRONTEO

Everything we do comes from our service-oriented culture that puts the client at its center. We develop and constantly improve cutting-edge technology, and market custom, seamless services that create value for our clients, employees, consumers and shareholders. Our name is no coincidence. “FRONTEO” helps us focus while looking forward, empowering us to apply our AI technology to the mission-critical legal market. We combine our machine learning with unparalleled attention to our clients. At FRONTEO, you are the center of our universe. You define your needs, and we are your helpmates and facilitators. Together, now and in the future, we succeed.
For more information about FRONTEO, contact usinfo@fronteo.com or visit
https://www.fronteousa.com/usa/