SK Biopharm Appoints AI Expert Shin Bong-geun as Task Force Leader

SK Biopharm announced on the 28th that it has recruited Dr. Shin Bong-geun, an expert in artificial intelligence (AI) for new drug development, as the new head of the AI and Digital Transformation (DT) Task Force (TF).

Shin Bong-geun, New Head of AI·DT TF at SK Biopharm
Photo by SK Biopharm

Dr. Shin earned his master's degrees in electronic engineering and computer science from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Emory University in the United States, respectively. He obtained his Ph.D. in computer science from Emory University with a dissertation on "Deep Learning Approaches to New Drug Development." Since then, he has accumulated numerous development and research achievements primarily in the fintech and AI fields. He co-founded Deargen, an AI-based drug development company, where he led the utilization of AI technology as Chief AI Officer (CAIO) and CEO of the U.S. branch.

Joining as the head of the AI·DT TF, Dr. Shin will build SK Biopharm’s comprehensive AI roadmap and oversee the digitalization of research and development (R&D), including AI-based new drug development, as well as the digital healthcare business.

SK Biopharm has continuously pursued the integration of the company’s capabilities with AI technology in these fields. In AI drug development, based on the know-how gained from developing two FDA-approved drugs in the U.S., Cenobamate (U.S. brand name Xcopri) and Sunosi, the company has built the AI-based drug design platform Hubble since 2018 and utilized it in early-stage R&D. Furthermore, it is preparing an upgraded version called Hubble Plus, which applies and advances this platform to new modalities such as Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD) and Radiopharmaceutical Therapy (RPT).

Additionally, SK Biopharm is developing an integrated solution that can detect, predict, and respond to seizures in epilepsy patients in real time through digital healthcare. Beyond drug treatment with the epilepsy drug Cenobamate, this solution involves real-time seizure detection and recording via wearable devices, alerts to caregivers, and the integration of patients’ biometric signals such as EEG with AI technology to predict seizures. This enables preemptive responses such as drug administration or moving to a safe location.

Dr. Shin said, "I believe AI technology has the potential to drastically reduce the time and cost of new drug development and fundamentally improve patients’ quality of life. SK Biopharm’s successful experience in new drug development and its strong position in the global epilepsy treatment market will be a great help in realizing this vision."

Lee Dong-hoon, CEO of SK Biopharm, said, "We have long been considering the use of AI technology. Based on Dr. Shin Bong-geun’s distinctive capabilities and experience, we will advance our existing AI-based new drug development platform and accelerate our digital healthcare business."