Accelerate indication identification and early licensing with FRONTEO’s unique technologies that systematically discovers unreported relationships between diseases and molecules from existing literature information.
FRONTEO, Inc. (Head Office: Tokyo, Japan; Chief Executive Officer: Masahiro Morimoto; hereafter "FRONTEO") is pleased to announce the start of a co-creation project with UBE Corporation (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & Representative Director: Masato Izumihara; hereafter “UBE”) regarding drug repositioning*1 in the field of life science AI/AI drug discovery. This project aims to quickly license out UBE's drug discovery assets through identification of indications. FRONTEO expects to generate revenue by providing analysis services and from milestone payments for meeting predefined milestones.
This co-creation project combines FRONTEO Drug Discovery AI Factory (hereafter "DDAIF”) *2, an AI drug discovery support service specializing in hypothesis generation, with UBE's outstanding drug discovery assets to accelerate research and development of ethical drugs.
FRONTEO leverages "KIBIT", an in-house developed specialized AI, and patented natural language processing technologies in the DDAIF projects which are currently under discussions with multiple pharmaceutical companies. It is expected to contribute greatly to improving clients’ success rate of drug development and people's health.
The impact of this transaction itself on the financial results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025 is expected to be minor.
*1 Utilizing existing drugs, drugs under development, and drug discovery modalities to repurpose them for diseases different from those originally envisioned.
*2 AI drug discovery support service that FRONTEO's drug discovery experts, who are well versed in AI and drug discovery, use the natural language processing technology of KIBIT and the unique analysis methods to provide suggestions for target identification, drug repositioning, and the supporting hypotheses.
About UBE Corporation URL: https://www.ube.com/ube/en/
UBE Corporation encompasses a group of specialty chemicals businesses, of which the pharmaceuticals business comprises the core of its life sciences portfolio, progressing beyond its track record of discoveries in small molecule therapeutics into high added-value products such as ADCs (antibody-drug conjugates). Alongside is a CDMO (contract development and manufacturing organization) business, which is strengthening its existing small molecule production capacity while also acquiring capabilities in novel modalities such as oligonucleotide therapeutics. UBE's life science businesses will continue to offer solutions that enhance and protect human life and health.
About unique technology to discover unreported relationships from existing literature information
FRONTEO's AI drug discovery service (DDAIF), which uses the unique technologies of e KIBIT, a specialized AI engine developed in-house, discovers unreported relationships from existing literature information, extracts unreported target molecules with high diseases relevance, and presents hypotheses about the underlying disease mechanisms. In recent years, while research on technologies and methodologies for efficiently accessing the information researchers seek from the vast amount of literature has advanced, making new discoveries from literature still relies on researchers' own imagination and coincidence. FRONTEO’s innovative approach in DDAIF makes it possible to find new discoveries from discontinuous sources in a scientific and systematic manner.
Reference: FRONTEO’s press release on September 9, 2024, Patent application filed for "natural language processing technology that systematically and efficiently discovers unreported relationships from existing literature information", A new technology that overturns common sense in literature searches and revolutionizes science in general, https://www.fronteo.com/pr/20240909
About co-creation project
Companies separately involve in dry research (data analysis) and wet research (biological testing) in conventional AI-based drug discovery support services. Dry research results are usually advanced to wet research without sufficient exchange of opinions and information among researchers in charge of dry and wet research preventing smooth transit from dry research to wet verification.
This co-creation project will enable close collaboration between researchers from both companies in the dry-to-wet process of drug development, thereby creating synergistic deliverables that incorporate knowledge and technologies from both companies. This is expected to improve the success rate of subsequent drug development in similar cases FRONTEO is currently under discussions with multiple pharmaceutical companies.
About FRONTEO URL: https://lifescience.fronteousa.com/
FRONTEO supports experts across various technological fields by providing valuable insights to jumpstart innovation through its proprietary specialized AI engine "KIBIT".
KIBIT implements a unique natural language processing technology (patented in Japan and the United States) that enables high-speed and high-precision analysis of textual repositories without relying on large quantities of training data and computing power, unlike a general-purpose AI engine. By utilizing patented technology that visualizes the structure of relationships between analyzed information, KIBIT provides insights to experts that would otherwise be hidden. In recent years, KIBIT has also been incorporated into analysis tools used for hypothesis generation and target exploration in drug discovery.
In line with FRONTEO’s mission of supporting the information society by providing solutions that discover opportunities and risks that are otherwise hidden in documents, FRONTEO has leveraged KIBIT's unique technology in the fields of Life Science AI, Business Intelligence, Economic Security, and LegalTech AI,
Founded in August 2003, listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers Market (now Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market) on June 26, 2007. The offices are located in Japan, the United States, South Korea, and Taiwan. Obtained the first-class marketing license for medical devices, registered controlled medical device sales business. Capital is 898,618,000 yen (as of August 31, 2024).
* FRONTEO, KIBIT and Drug Discovery AI Factory are registered trademarks of FRONTEO in Japan.
Public Relations: pr_contact@fronteo.com
Life Science AI Business Division: https://lifescience.fronteousa.com/contact/