Collaboration with Tech-Bio Company Portrai
Strengthening New Drug Development Capabilities Based on Precision Medicine
Celltrion announced on October 29 that it has signed a joint research and development agreement with the tech-bio company Portrai to discover new drug targets using spatial transcriptomics and artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Under this agreement, Celltrion will be able to jointly discover novel drug targets by utilizing Portrai’s spatial transcriptomics database and AI-powered analysis platform, PortraiTARGET. Portrai identifies new targets through multi-omics analysis, including spatial transcriptomics, while Celltrion will secure exclusive rights to up to 10 targets and take charge of discovering therapeutic candidates and managing all subsequent development stages.
The total value of the agreement, including the upfront payment, is up to 87.75 million US dollars (approximately 125.9 billion KRW), depending on the development stage. If the products are commercialized and sales begin, Celltrion will pay additional royalties to Portrai.
Founded in South Korea in 2021, Portrai is a tech-bio company that owns a high-resolution cancer patient database and analysis platform based on spatial transcriptomics. In August of this year, the company was selected to participate in the third cohort of the Celltrion Open Innovation Program, based on its proprietary technology.
Spatial transcriptomics analysis is a next-generation technology that analyzes gene expression within tissues together with spatial information, representing an advancement over conventional single-cell transcriptomics. It enables the mapping of cellular distribution within tissues and allows for the identification of spatial interactions between individual cells, such as normal and cancer cells.
By analyzing tumor cells and their surrounding microenvironment from cancer patient tissue samples, unique gene expression patterns for each cancer type can be identified. This provides a foundation for developing personalized treatment strategies and is regarded as a highly promising technology in the field of precision medicine.
Celltrion plans to strengthen its own new drug pipeline by focusing on securing new targets through this collaboration. As patient groups in the field of cancer therapeutics have become increasingly segmented, relying solely on well-known or validated targets has reached its limits. Therefore, Celltrion intends to discover new targets with a high probability of commercial success through spatial transcriptomics-based analysis of actual patient samples, and to develop differentiated drug candidates based on these findings.
A Celltrion representative commented, "We expect that this joint research, driven by the technological capabilities of both companies, will open up greater possibilities for substance discovery and new drug development. Going forward, we will actively leverage new technologies to secure future growth engines, not only in the oncology field, where unmet medical needs are high, but also in various other areas through the development of innovative new drugs."
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