Syntekabio Expands Global Contracts, Boosts Growth with Next-Gen AI Platforms

Syntekabio, an AI-driven drug discovery company, announced on the 27th that it achieved sales of KRW 1.2 billion in the first half of this year. The company is positioning itself as one of the few players in Korea’s AI drug discovery sector to deliver tangible commercialization results.

While several Korean AI drug discovery platform companies exist, most remain at the early stage of commercialization, with limited or no revenue. This reflects the long-term, capital-intensive nature of the drug development industry. By generating actual sales, Syntekabio has proven the commercial viability of its technology.

The revenue was generated through multiple collaborations, including anticancer candidate discovery with a major Korean pharmaceutical company and biopharma R&D firm Rudacure; two successive compound discovery agreements with a U.S.-listed targeted protein degradation(TPD) company; and joint development of veterinary therapeutics with the world’s largest animal health company. These deals yielded approximately KRW 600 million in Korea and KRW 500 million in the United States.

Syntekabio is also actively expanding its pipeline through global partnerships. It has signed a KRW 4.5 billion agreement with U.S.-based Pragma Bio to identify inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) targets and advance through preclinical research.

In addition, the company is jointly developing oncology therapeutics with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center(MSKCC), one of the top five U.S. cancer centers, based on proprietary targets. With U.S. antibody discovery and engineering firm OCMS Bio, Syntekabio is pursuing antibody optimization and efficacy studies for undisclosed targets. The two companies have also co-launched an AI-driven antibody “one-shot” screening platform, further expanding Syntekabio’s global research network.

Earlier this year, Syntekabio officially launched “LM-VS(Language Model Virtual Screening),” its SaaS-based AI drug discovery service, to global markets, kicking off its revenue stream. In the second half, the company plans to introduce an upgraded PaaS version with enhanced cloud-based accessibility and scalability. Having initiated revenue through SaaS, Syntekabio will expand its business domain in the second half by offering PaaS services to Korean pharmaceutical companies, reinforcing its growth trajectory.

Beyond small molecule drug discovery, Syntekabio operates next-generation platforms including Ab-ARS for antibody optimization and Neo-ARS for cancer vaccine discovery. Ab-ARS is an AI platform that optimizes antigen antibody binding regions(CDRs), and rising global demand is expected to drive revenue growth from the second half. Neo-ARS, a personalized cancer vaccine discovery platform based on neoantigen prediction, has already delivered positive results in joint development studies, with meaningful revenue generation expected from next year.

The company’s momentum also aligns with recent government initiatives. The new administration unveiled a five-year AI industry roadmap, which includes a KRW 25 trillion public-private AI investment by 2027, talent development, a KRW 1 trillion annual fund dedicated to AI startups, and the expansion of AI convergence clusters. As part of Korea’s strategy to become a global AI powerhouse, the plan emphasizes AI healthcare, autonomous driving, and industrial AI commercialization policies that strengthen the institutional foundation for AI drug discovery companies such as Syntekabio.

“Syntekabio is already a proven company in the AI drug discovery field, having delivered real revenue,” a company spokesperson said. “Through reference-building and expansion of next-generation platforms, we will continue to strengthen our competitiveness not only in Korea but also in the global market.”

SOURCE : https://pharm.edaily.co.kr/News/Read?newsId=04155766642271584&mediaCodeNo=257