FRONTEO, Inc. (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Masahiro Morimoto; hereinafter "FRONTEO") is pleased to announce that it has begun a co-creation project with Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Okuda Osamu; hereinafter "Chugai") regarding target discovery using AI technology.

 

 

Challenges in drug discovery and the significance of this project
In the field of drug discovery, the diversification and complexity of target diseases has created a need for the discovery of highly novel target molecules and mechanisms that are difficult to explore using traditional research methods. In addition, there is said to be a gap in processes and knowledge between dry research (data analysis) using AI and wet research (biological verification) using cells and animals, which has been an obstacle to improving the speed of research and development and the success rate. In this project, FRONTEO's AI drug discovery support service, which specializes in hypothesis generation,“Drug Discovery AI Factory” (hereinafter referred to as “DDAIF”)^{* 1}By combining this with the drug discovery knowledge that Chugai has accumulated to date, the company will accelerate its research and development aimed at creating first-in-class/best-in-class new drugs.

Comment from Hiroyoshi Toyoshiba, Director and CTO of FRONTEO, Inc.
"Unmet medical needs^{* 2}We are truly pleased to be able to collaborate with Chugai Pharmaceutical, which continues to create innovative medicines that satisfy these needs, at the forefront of AI drug discovery.
FRONTEO's DDAIF is a service operated jointly by drug discovery researchers and AI engineers, and has the power to search for new targets from vast amounts of information and generate hypotheses.
By combining Chugai's deep knowledge of drug discovery with our AI technology, we hope to increase the success rate of drug discovery and the efficiency of development, leading to the discovery of new targets."

FRONTEO will also utilize its proprietary, patented natural language processing technology, KIBIT, a specialized AI, in co-creation projects with multiple pharmaceutical companies, to help improve the success rate of drug development for client companies and contribute to people's health.

*1 An AI drug discovery support service in which FRONTEO's drug discovery experts, who are well versed in AI and drug discovery, utilize KIBIT's natural language processing technology and unique analysis methods to search for target molecules and indications and provide supporting hypotheses.
*2 Need for new drugs and treatments for diseases for which no effective treatment has been found

 

■ About FRONTEO　URL:https://www.fronteo.com/
FRONTEO supports the judgment of experts in various fields who face social issues day and night through the provision of its proprietary specialized AI "KIBIT," and creates the starting point for innovation. Unlike general-purpose AI, our proprietary natural language processing technology (patented in Japan and the United States) enables high-speed and high-precision analysis without relying on the amount of training data or computing power. In addition, by utilizing patented technology that maps (visualizes the structure) the analyzed information, "KIBIT" can directly influence the insights of experts, and in recent years, KIBIT's technology has also been used in hypothesis generation and target discovery in drug discovery.

Through KIBIT's unique technology and approach, we aim to realize our philosophy of "providing solutions that do not overlook risks and opportunities hidden in records, and realizing fairness in the information society."Life science AI,Business intelligence,Economic security,Legal Tech AIWe are promoting social implementation in each field.

Founded in August 2003, the company was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers (now the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth) on June 8, 2007.
The company operates in Japan, the United States, South Korea and Taiwan.
Obtained Type 1 medical device manufacturing and sales license and registered as a controlled medical device sales business.
Capital: 898,618 yen (as of March 2024, 8).

*FRONTEO, KIBIT, and Drug Discovery AI Factory are trademarks or registered trademarks of FRONTEO in Japan, Europe, the United States, and Korea.