LG AI Research Institute and Professor Baek Minkyung Launch Joint Research
Taking on the Challenge of Solving the Protein Structure Prediction Puzzle
LG Accelerates the Convergence of AI and Bio as Future Growth Engines
On the 5th, LG AI Research Institute signed a joint research agreement with Professor Baek Min-kyung of the Department of Biological Sciences at Seoul National University at the LG Science Park Global Lounge in Magok, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, to develop the ‘next-generation protein structure prediction AI.’
Baek Min-kyung, Professor at Seoul National University (right), and Bae Kyung-hoon, Director of LG AI Research Institute (left), joined hands for convergence research between AI and Bio. Photo by LG
Going forward, LG AI Research Institute plans to collaborate with Professor Baek Min-kyung’s research team to develop a protein multistate structure prediction AI that surpasses the limitations of existing technologies within this year. This will help find the missing link to not only new drug development but also unraveling the secrets of life phenomena.
Proteins are recognized as representative biomolecules involved in all activities of the human body. To create a ‘digital cell map’ that can be used throughout the entire process of identifying disease causes and developing new drugs and treatments, technology to predict protein structures is essential.
Global big tech companies are also advancing protein prediction AI technology, but so far, they remain at the stage of predicting and designing single protein structures. The technology to predict the structures of proteins existing in various states (Multistate) depending on environmental and chemical changes inside the human body remains a challenge.
Professor Baek is a globally recognized researcher in the field of protein structure prediction. She developed ‘RoseTTAFold’ together with Professor David Baker of the University of Washington, USA, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry last year for research using AI. Professor Baek said, “AI is an important tool in protein structure prediction, but there has been a limitation in not fully understanding the principles. Through joint research with LG AI Research Institute, we aim to challenge a new stage of protein structure prediction that leads to verification and experimentation.”
Lee Soon-young, head of the Bio Intelligence Lab at LG AI Research Institute, emphasized, “The secrets of intractable diseases such as Alzheimer’s are hidden in protein structures, and deciphering complex protein structures is a very challenging task. By developing protein multistate structure prediction AI, we expect to make groundbreaking progress in understanding disease mechanisms and developing new treatments, as if unlocking a lock.”
Meanwhile, LG expects this joint research to further accelerate the discovery of Alzheimer’s factors and new drug development currently underway with The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) in the United States. Since early last year, LG AI Research Institute has been conducting joint research on predictive AI technology for diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s and cancer with JAX, a world-renowned nonprofit genomic research institution.
LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo stated in this year’s New Year’s address, “We will challenge a future where we can be with our loved ones longer through innovative new drugs that cure intractable diseases,” expressing his commitment to fostering the bio business as one of the future growth engines.
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