On March 31, 2021 PharmCADD , a quantum mechanics-based artificial intelligence (AI) new drug development company, announced on the 31st that it succeeded in attracting ‘Series B’ investment worth 17.3 billion won (Press release, PharmCADD, MAR 31, 2021, View Source [SID1234644207]).
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Existing investors KTB Network and Daily Partners, as well as DSC Investment, KB Securities, Korea Development Bank Capital, and Maple Investment Partners participated in this investment. Huons Samyang Holdings SD Biosensor came in as a strategic investor. As a result, PalmCAD achieved a cumulative investment of 25 billion won in just two years since its establishment.
Kwon Tae-hyung, CEO of FarmCAD, said, "Through the advancement of the phamulator, we will announce experimental verification data and some non-clinical results obtained through collaboration with Huons Institute of Atomic Energy Medicine and Kainogen Igene within the year." He added, "Through the AI new drug development platform, we will announce various "We will achieve verification in the research field, conduct technology evaluation in the second half of this year, and achieve a successful initial public offering (IPO) in the first half of next year," he said.
FarmCAD’s AI new drug development platform, Pamulator, consists of five modules: protein structure prediction, molecular dynamics simulation (MD), quantum calculation, toxicity prediction, and ‘AI drug generation’. It is explained that it is possible to conduct initial research in various fields such as discovery of new drug candidates with minimal toxicity and ProTAC, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), and drug delivery system (DDS).
Recently, we conducted research on an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine using Pamulator, taking into account stability and mutant viruses, with Igene. This substance demonstrated the formation of neutralizing antibodies beyond the Moderna vaccine.
Woo Sang-wook, CEO of FarmCAD, said, "Using the quantum calculation module, we can check very fine physical and chemical properties of compounds that cannot be known through actual experiments, and more precisely predict the intermolecular interactions between target proteins and drugs." He emphasized, "The quantum data that has been calculated and learned with AI from the immediate aftermath until now is at a level that domestic and foreign AI new drug developers cannot easily match."
FarmCAD currently has about 50 employees. Among the 34 research personnel, 17 are PhDs, and there are experts in the fields of artificial intelligence, molecular dynamics, quantum computing, and biotechnology.