January 15, 2021 I Syntekabio (KOSDAQ: 226330), an AI and NGS-based drug development company, announced that it has signed multiple co-development agreement on 14th January with Hanmi Science (KOSPI: 008930) to develop COVID-19 treatments utilzing drug repositioning technologies.

After signing an MOU with Hanmi Science in September 2020 to develop COVID-19 drug candidates using drug repurposing, Syntekabio has been discussing specific cooperation plans. Through the contract, Syntekabio will also collaborate with Hanmi Science to drive clinical development for its proprietary COVID-19 treatments (Zafirlukast-sulfinpyrazone combination therapy) and subsequent drug repositioning research including clinical development and regulatory affairs.

Under the agreement, the two companies aim to discover existing drug candidates’ potential efficacy against COVID-19, and various diseases by utilizing Syntekabio’s proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) drug discovery platform, the Deepmatcher®.

In addition, Syntekabio and Hanmi Science work together to develop a digital therapeutics platform for clinical practice. Drug repurposing and indication expansion research data derived from Syntekabio’s proprietary AI-based drug discovery platform will be enlisted on the project.

Tyson Kim, the CEO of Syntekabio, said “We expect to accelerate clinical trials and other developments for COVID-19 treatments from the synergy created by collaborating Hanmi Science. We will concentrate our capabilities on both companies to deliver significant outcome.”

Jongyoon Lim, the CEO of Hanmi Science, said “Multiple therapeutics and vaccines received emergency use authorization from regulatory agencies, and the in-silico simulation would be an optimal approach for drug repurposing. This would be the first medical contents presented by digital therapeutics of Lightspeed Task Force, initiated by Hanmi Science.”

Hanmi Science Lightspeed Task Force to create innovative business models for COVID-19 was launched on January 5. It consists of Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group, Syntekabio, and other biotech companies such as Bioapp, Herings, and EvidNet. The clinical trial design would be responsible for Herings, a digital therapeutics platform company, and the in silico drug repurposing would be responsible for the Syntekabio.

About Syntekabio, Inc.

Syntekabio is an AI and NGS based drug development company, utilizing a genomic database and artificial intelligence to predict and identify new molecular entities to be a relevant new drug product. It is the global first AI drug development company listed on the public market (KOSDAQ: 226330) in December 2019. The Company’s lead product candidate, STB-C017, an IDO/TDO dual inhibitor for the treatment of advanced solid tumor, is under nonclinical development. The company’s subsequent pipelines include personalized neoantigen cancer vaccines, small molecules targeting established oncology targets, and biomarkers to stratify relevant patients to maximize treatment efficacy. Syntekabio’s business model is to collaborate with various academic institutions and biopharma companies to optimize development process, utilizing proprietary AI and NGS data. The Company is headquartered in Daejeon, Rep. of Korea, with offices in Seoul, Rep. of Korea and Rockville, MD, USA.

For additional information, please visit http://www.syntekabio.com/.

SOURCE: Syntekabo