KPBMA Introduced an AI Drug Development Education Hub in South Korea

Announcement

The Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-pharma Manufacturers Association (KPBMA) initiated the first practical training infrastructure for artificial intelligence (AI-related drug development in Korea. On the 29th of August, the AI drug convergence research institute marked a successful full-fledged safe project named ‘education and promotion of drug development optimizing artificial intelligence (AI)’. It is a public offering project brought into consideration by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and will further start to build the infrastructure by next month.

In 2019, the AI drug convergence research institute was launched in the form of the AI drug development support center of the KPBMA, and further extended and renamed its center in January this year to match the trend of the AI world with its game-changer attitude in the drug development portfolio of the bio and pharmaceutical industry.

KPBMA’s Investment and Change in Transforming the Healthcare Sector

The KPBMA elaborated, stating that the traditional drug development takes approximately 13 to 15 years and $2.5 billion (estimated 3.4 trillion won). The progress rate for the phase 1 clinical trials is less than 10%, in contrast to AI’s advantage for a prominent acceleration in the processes of first-stage candidate substance discovery, molecular design, and target analysis. The current progress rate of the phase 1 clinical trials of AI-related drug candidates is calculated to be between 80% and 90%.

The leading pharmaceutical corporations are largely investing in infrastructure expansion and AI technology. The root of this current educational project is the SDL (self-driving lab) practical infrastructure. The SDL is a future research system that merges robotic experimental devices and AI algorithms to automatically execute, analyze, and design experiments. In simple words, it is an educational hub helping researchers with their practices and understand/learn the drug development process at the hub by using AI.

The institute confirmed by signing a memorandum of understanding for international cooperation with the Acceleration Consortium at the University of Toronto in Canada, and will finally declare the SDL curriculum operational. It will also extend its partnership network by engaging with AI corporations, research institutes, and universities.

Views and Statements from the Healthcare Leaders

Vice director of the AI drug convergence research institute, Soo-Hyun Pyo, said, “The bio and pharmaceutical industry is at a transforming stage where the ‘paradigm of drug development’ is changing. The AI drug convergence research institute will play a crucial role in leveraging the existence of next-generation drug development talents and innovative technologies via a curriculum mirroring practical-target infrastructure, international cooperation, and demand.”