Dong-A Socio Group is accelerating its research and development (R&D) innovation by launching its own artificial intelligence (AI)-based drug development platform.
On July 29, Dong-A Socio Group announced that its IT subsidiary, DAI, and Dong-A ST have jointly developed the AI Drug Discovery Platform (AIDDP), which integrates AI and bio-data, and will begin full-scale operations.
AIDDP is a comprehensive platform that allows for the entire process of drug candidate design, prediction, analysis, and result management to be conducted in a single environment. Previously, various analytical tools and data had to be used separately, but this platform enables the organic connection of key research workflows.
The platform incorporates the drug development experience and computer-based analytical capabilities accumulated by Dong-A ST's research team, allowing for efficient execution of initial research, including candidate substance exploration, binding potential with target proteins, and structural stability assessments.
Key features include single-cell and spatial transcriptomics data visualization, AI-based new compound design, binding affinity predictions between candidate substances and target proteins, docking and molecular dynamics simulations, and integrated management of research data and analysis history.
Dong-A Socio Group plans to accumulate the research data, analysis results, and researcher capabilities generated by AIDDP as core digital assets. The accumulated data will be utilized for enhancing AI models and discovering new candidate substances. Additionally, the group aims to reduce reliance on external solutions and strengthen its foundation for securing proprietary technology and intellectual property (IP).
In the future, the company plans to add large-scale compound virtual screening, AI-based search functions for papers, patents, and research information, and gradually introduce autonomous research support features using 'agentic AI.' Long-term, the goal is to develop an advanced AI research platform that supports everything from exploration to analysis and decision-making.
Jung Jae-hoon, CEO of Dong-A ST, stated, "We have laid the groundwork to improve the time and success rate of candidate substance optimization in the early stages of drug development," adding, "We will enhance our research competitiveness through platform advancement."
Meanwhile, major subsidiaries of Dong-A Socio Group reported growth in their performance for the second quarter of this year. Dong-A Socio Holdings improved both its scale and profitability, driven by strong performances from Dong-A Pharmaceutical and Yongma Logistics, while Dong-A ST achieved record-high quarterly sales.
Specifically, Dong-A Socio Holdings reported consolidated sales of 412.4 billion won for the second quarter, an 18.9% increase from 346.9 billion won in the same period last year, and an operating profit of 39 billion won, up 38.3% from 28.2 billion won year-on-year.
Key subsidiaries Dong-A Pharmaceutical and Yongma Logistics led the overall performance. Dong-A Pharmaceutical achieved sales of 228.2 billion won, a 25.7% increase from the same period last year, and an operating profit of 30.2 billion won, up 26.6%.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.