Zencurix Partners with Globally Recognized AI Cancer Diagnosis Company to Enter Medical AI Market

On the 6th, cancer molecular diagnostics company GenCurix announced that it has signed a business agreement with AI cancer diagnosis company DeepBio. Starting with the joint development of a business model to provide AI prostate cancer diagnostic testing services, they will officially embark on the AI cancer diagnosis service business.

DeepBio is an AI cancer diagnosis company listed on the KOSDAQ market, similar to Lunit and Vuno. It applies AI algorithms to analyze the regions and severity of various cancer types and provides products that assist medical professionals in diagnosis based on this analysis. It was the first in Korea to receive approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2020 for an AI-based cancer in vitro diagnostic product. In 2021, it won the Edison Award Silver Prize. The Edison Award has been given to companies such as Apple in 2012 and Tesla and SpaceX in 2014.

DeepBio ranked first by surpassing global competitors in the global AI digital pathology image analysis competition (CAMELYON17). Currently, its AI prostate cancer diagnostic software developed with proprietary technology, DeepDx-Prostate, has obtained approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and is being commercialized.

It is estimated that approximately 50,000 prostate cancer diagnostic tests are performed annually in Korea. DeepDx-Prostate provides the presence or absence of prostate cancer and the probability of cancer tissue inclusion, while DeepDx-Prostate Pro provides the histological grade of prostate cancer. Not only does it improve diagnostic accuracy, but it also significantly reduces the time required to produce diagnostic results, which is expected to help solve the shortage of pathology specialists in the field.

DeepBio has conducted more active research and development activities overseas than domestically. It has collaborated on AI-based cancer diagnosis and prognosis prediction research and development with world-class cancer research institutions such as Stanford University School of Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, showing excellent results. In addition to the prostate cancer tests DeepDx-Prostate and DeepDx-Prostate Pro, DeepBio is expanding its research and product development areas to breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer, and more. It plans to pursue a KOSDAQ listing in 2025.

GenCurix, a cancer molecular diagnostics company, has recently attracted attention by showing consecutive achievements in research, approval, and commercialization. The Asia-only breast cancer prognosis diagnostic test ‘Jinswell BCT’ is being adopted by major general hospitals in Korea one after another. Clinical research results proving its superiority by directly comparing its performance with the globally top-selling product were presented in June at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), one of the world’s top three cancer conferences, drawing significant interest.

The companion diagnostic test ‘DROPLEX’ has shown superior performance compared to products from global diagnostic companies and has begun to replace competing products at cancer centers both domestically and internationally. News of domestic and overseas approvals for new companion diagnostic products is also steadily emerging.

Jang Sang-rae, CEO of GenCurix, said, "Under the goal of having a diagnostic solution portfolio essential throughout the entire cancer cycle, we are promoting both independent research and development and open innovation together." He added, "If DeepBio’s world-class AI cancer diagnostic core technology combines with GenCurix’s cancer molecular diagnostic technologies and commercialization capabilities, we expect to create various synergies." He emphasized, "The commercialization of DeepDx-Prostate will be the first successful case."

Kim Sun-woo, CEO of DeepBio, said, "We expect to accelerate the commercialization of core products through cooperation with GenCurix." He added, "Based on accumulated excellent research achievements, we will expand cooperative relationships with hospitals and research institutes at home and abroad and establish ourselves as a leading company in the AI digital pathology field."

According to market research firm MarketandMarkets, the AI healthcare sector is expected to grow from $14.6 billion in 2023 to $102.7 billion (approximately 136 trillion KRW) by 2028.