LG AI Research and D&D Pharmatech have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the development of next-generation oral peptide therapies, highlighting the growing role of artificial intelligence in transforming drug discovery and development.
The agreement was formally signed at LG Twin Towers in Seoul and brings together LG AI Research’s expertise in artificial intelligence with D&D Pharmatech’s experience in peptide drug development. Executives from both organizations attended the signing ceremony, signaling a long-term commitment to advancing innovative treatments for diseases that currently have limited therapeutic options.
The collaboration focuses on developing oral peptide medicines, an area that has attracted significant interest across the pharmaceutical industry. Peptides are short chains of amino acids that can precisely target disease-related biological pathways while generally maintaining favorable safety profiles. However, most peptide-based therapies are administered by injection because they are easily broken down by digestive enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract, making oral delivery a major scientific challenge.
Through the partnership, the two companies aim to overcome these limitations by combining advanced AI-driven molecular design with peptide engineering and formulation technologies. Their goal is to develop oral tablet-based peptide therapies for chronic diseases and precision medicine applications while improving drug absorption, safety, and clinical success rates.
Woohyung Lim, Head of LG AI Research, described the collaboration as more than a technology partnership, emphasizing its potential to create specialized AI systems capable of solving complex challenges in drug discovery.
According to Lim, LG AI Research has been continuously advancing its protein engineering models and plans to use those capabilities to accelerate the discovery and optimization of next-generation peptide therapeutics. He noted that AI can significantly improve the design process by identifying promising molecular candidates more efficiently than conventional approaches.
D&D Pharmatech Chief Executive Officer Seulki Lee said the partnership combines complementary strengths from both organizations. By integrating LG AI Research’s data-driven technologies with D&D Pharmatech’s expertise in peptide development, the companies hope to dramatically improve the efficiency of discovering and developing new medicines.
As part of the collaboration, LG AI Research will develop AI models capable of analyzing disease-related molecular structures and designing peptide candidates at a scale that would be difficult to achieve through traditional methods. The company will use its growing portfolio of biology-focused AI technologies to identify and optimize promising drug candidates.
D&D Pharmatech will then evaluate, synthesize, and refine the AI-generated candidates. The company will also apply its proprietary formulation technologies to convert viable candidates into orally administered medicines and oversee preclinical testing, clinical development, and regulatory activities.
A key feature of the partnership is the creation of a continuous feedback system. Data generated from laboratory validation and development studies will be fed back into LG’s AI models, allowing the system to improve its predictions and candidate designs over time.
The agreement also reflects LG’s broader ambitions in biotechnology and healthcare. Over the past several years, the company has expanded its “Biology AI” portfolio, developing artificial intelligence platforms focused on drug discovery, cancer diagnosis, and treatment recommendations.
Among its notable initiatives is Cancer Agentic AI, a personalized oncology platform being developed with researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The system is designed to analyze cancer tissue samples, recommend treatment strategies, and potentially reduce the time required for diagnostic assessments.
LG AI Research has also been advancing EXAONE Discovery, an AI-powered platform designed to accelerate drug and advanced materials research. The platform incorporates what the company describes as an “AI Co-Scientist,” capable of assisting researchers with experimental design and outcome prediction.
The new collaboration with D&D Pharmatech demonstrates how artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming a central tool in pharmaceutical innovation. By combining AI-driven molecular design with specialized peptide development expertise, the companies hope to shorten development timelines, reduce research costs, and bring new oral peptide therapies to patients more quickly.
If successful, the partnership could help address one of the most significant challenges in peptide drug development and contribute to the growing adoption of AI-powered approaches across the life sciences industry.