[Bio USA] SK Biopharmaceuticals teams up with PhnyX Lab to boost AI-based drug development

SK Biopharmaceuticals Head of Strategy Yoo Chang-ho (left) and PhnyX Lab CEO Bae Min-seok pose for a photo after signing a business agreement for collaboration on AI-driven drug development at the SK Biopharmaceuticals booth during Bio USA 2025 in Boston, Tuesday. (SK Biopharmaceuticals)

BOSTON -- SK Biopharmaceuticals announced Tuesday that it had signed a mutual strategic business agreement with AI startup PhnyX Lab during the Bio USA 2025 convention held in Boston, aiming to establish an AI-powered drug development framework.

Through the agreement, the two companies will co-develop a customized solution that automates key processes in drug development such as literature searches, data analysis and document generation, using PhnyX Lab’s proprietary generative AI platform Cheiron.

The collaboration will especially focus on automating regulatory documentation required for clinical trial initiation, expediting what SK Biopharmaceuticals calls a "full-scale AI transformation" of its drug development workflow. The company expects this shift to significantly enhance R&D productivity while dramatically reducing the time and cost associated with drug development and approval.

"Pharmaceutical and biotech industries face significant challenges in digital transformation due to their complex workflows and heavy regulation," said Bae Min-seok, CEO of PhnyX Lab. “The partnership demonstrates that generative AI solutions can be effectively applied in real-world settings to improve both efficiency and accuracy in pharmaceutical operations.”

As Cheiron is an end-to-end AI solution tailored for the pharmaceutical and biotech sector, the system also connects with official databases from regulatory bodies such as the US FDA and Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, as well as the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) classification system, to deliver high accuracy and practical utility.

“AI is no longer a choice, but a core capability in drug development,” said Lee Dong-hoon, CEO of SK Biopharmaceuticals. “By partnering with PhnyX Lab, we plan to further embed AI into every stage of our drug development process and strengthen our competitiveness in the global market.”

SK Biopharmaceuticals has already been utilizing its in-house AI platform Huble in the early stages of drug development, particularly in analyzing disease-causing genes and proteins and identifying drug candidates. Through the new collaboration, the company plans to expand the application of AI across its operations to maximize productivity.