2026年07月22日
2026.07.22
“Drug Discovery AI Factory,” AI-based drug discovery support service, enables discontinuous discovery of new target molecules, paving the way for the early creation of innovative pharmaceuticals
Tokyo, Japan, April 16, 2026 - FRONTEO, Inc. (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President & CEO: Masahiro Morimoto; hereinafter “FRONTEO”) has entered into an agreement with Astellas Pharma Inc. (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President & CEO: Naoki Okamura; hereinafter “Astellas”) regarding the discovery of target molecules using AI technology.
Under this agreement, the project (hereinafter “Project”) aims to accelerate creation of innovative pharmaceuticals by combining FRONTEO’s AI-based drug discovery support service, “Drug Discovery AI Factory” (hereinafter “DDAIF”), with Astellas’ expertise in diseases and drug discovery, as well as its cutting-edge technologies.
FRONTEO’s “DDAIF” is a service that combines the company’s proprietary Equation-driven AI*1 “KIBIT”—which excels in natural language processing—with the expertise of drug discovery researchers and AI engineers to support the analysis of disease-related gene networks and the generation of hypotheses for target molecule*2 candidates.
In the Project, FRONTEO will use “KIBIT” to analyze vast amounts of scientific literature and identify highly novel target molecule candidates, including those involving previously unreported relationships between diseases and target molecules.
Astellas will evaluate the potential of the target molecule candidates suggested by FRONTEO for creation of innovative pharmaceuticals.
Comment from Hiroyoshi Toyoshiba, Director/Chief Science Officer (CSO), FRONTEO
FRONTEO’s “DDAIF” performs high-speed, comprehensive analysis of vast amounts of literature data. Its strength lies in its ability to use AI to identify previously unreported associations between diseases and target molecules through discontinuous discovery, without being biased.
As the depletion of potential drug targets becomes a global challenge against the backdrop of increasing complexity and diversification of diseases, this project will see FRONTEO responsible for identifying potential target molecules and developing hypotheses regarding their mechanisms of action for the target diseases selected by Astellas, thereby supporting Astellas’ drug discovery efforts.
We believe this will accelerate the creation of innovative pharmaceuticals. We are honored to contribute to addressing unmet medical needs*3 through this project.
Notes:
*1 Equation-driven AI “KIBIT”: An artificial intelligence system developed in-house by FRONTEO. By utilizing equations, it enables discontinuous discoveries, the identification of causal relationships, and high levels of analytical accuracy and reproducibility. By streamlining the learning process, it runs on a single computer. Patents have been obtained in Japan, the U.S., and Europe.
*2 Target molecule: A molecule (gene) within the human body that a drug is designed to act upon.
*3 Unmet medical needs: The need for new drugs or treatments for diseases for which no effective treatment has yet been found.
About FRONTEO Drug Discovery AI Factory (DDAIF)
[Reference: Initiatives with pharmaceutical companies and Academia]
https://www.fronteo.com/news/ddaif-list
FRONTEO Drug Discovery AI Factory (DDAIF) is an AI-based drug discovery support service that combines KIBIT (patented in Japan, Europe, the U.S., and South Korea), an Equation-driven AI specialized in natural language processing, with the expertise of FRONTEO’s drug discovery researchers and AI engineers. It powerfully supports researchers’ decision-making in drug development through the analysis of disease-related gene networks and the construction of hypotheses regarding target molecule candidates. This service has already been adopted by multiple major pharmaceutical companies and has a proven track record.
*The technology used in Drug Discovery AI Factory is covered by a total of 21 patents held by FRONTEO in Japan, Europe, the U.S., and South Korea.
https://lifescience.fronteo.com/products/drug-discovery-ai-factory/
About FRONTEO, Inc. https://www.fronteo.com/en/
FRONTEO provides its proprietary Equation-driven AI "KIBIT" to support the judgment of experts in various fields who face social challenges day and night, and creates the starting point for innovation. Unlike general-purpose AI, its unique natural language processing technology (patented in Japan, Europe, the U.S., and South Korea) enables high-speed, high-precision analysis without reliance on training data volume or computational power.
Additionally, patented technology that maps (visualizes structure) analyzed information allows KIBIT to directly influence expert insights, and in recent years, KIBIT has been applied in hypothesis generation and target discovery for drug development.
Guided by its mission to enhance fairness in the information society by uncovering opportunities and risks hidden in collective intelligence, FRONTEO promotes social implementation in life sciences AI, risk management (including economic security, business intelligence compliance support, business intelligence professional support and legaltech AI), and digital transformation support (Alnetz Inc.).
Founded in August 2003, FRONTEO was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers Market (now the Growth Market) on June 26, 2007. The company has offices in Japan, the U.S., and South Korea. As of March 31, 2026, FRONTEO’s capital stands at 915,057,000 yen.
*FRONTEO, KIBIT, and Drug Discovery AI Factory are trademarks or registered trademarks of FRONTEO in Japan, Europe, the U.S., and South Korea.
Contact
FRONTEO, Inc. Public Relations Department
Email: pr_contact@fronteo.com
Tel: +81-80-4321-6692
Inquiries Regarding FRONTEO Life Science AI Business
FRONTEO, Inc. Life Science AI Business Division
https://lifescience.fronteousa.com/contact/
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