Syntekabio Signs MOU with 'Jepit'... "Accelerating AI Drug Nonclinical Validation"

AI drug development specialist Syntekabio announced on the 20th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Jepit, a preclinical testing institution specializing in the Zebra Fish model, to validate the efficacy of new drug candidates discovered through its AI drug platform 'DeepMatcher.'

The signing ceremony, held at Syntekabio's headquarters located in Daejeon Expo Tower, was attended by key representatives from both companies, including Hye-kyung Cho, President of Business at Syntekabio, and Jun-nyeong Shin, CEO of Jepit.

Through this MOU, Syntekabio plans to utilize Jepit's Zebra Fish model to validate the efficacy of new drug candidates derived from its synthetic drug candidate discovery AI platform, 'DeepMatcher.' The company aims to accelerate securing its own drug candidates and building its pipeline through this preclinical research collaboration.

Jepit is a leading domestic preclinical contract research organization (CRO) specializing in the Zebra Fish model, possessing a testing platform that analyzes safety, efficacy, and medical relevance using Zebra Fish. Additionally, Jepit minimizes human error and provides highly reliable data through automated infrastructure for analyzing Zebra Fish test data.

Zebra Fish, a tropical fish belonging to the carp family, is reported to share over 80% genetic similarity with humans and is regarded as a preclinical translational research model that can replace mammalian experiments. It is rapidly emerging as an alternative to animal testing for drug development and is widely used in validation studies in the United States and Europe.

The company plans to closely collaborate with Jepit on translational research necessary for validating the efficacy of its current central nervous system (CNS) disease-related candidates as well as other new drug candidates and for advancing DeepMatcher.

Jun-nyeong Shin, CEO of Jepit, stated, “Recently, regulatory agencies, led by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have increasingly recognized Zebra Fish test data. We are pleased to cooperate with Syntekabio amid this trend and hope that Jepit's efficient test data will contribute to Syntekabio's technology transfer and drug development.”

Hye-kyung Cho, President of Syntekabio, said, “We continuously improve the performance of our AI drug platform through ongoing algorithm updates and have derived numerous meaningful active substances from our own projects. Our AI drug platform can identify substances at an early stage suitable for technology transfer in areas such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and CNS diseases. Since continuous efficacy validation is necessary for the early commercialization of secured substances, collaboration with Jepit will create synergy.”