AI technology to tackle hard-to-treat brain tumors

Park Cheol-won, CEO of Sovargen

Sovargen Co. announced on Tuesday that it has been selected for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s 2025 Bioindustry Technology Development Project for developing AI-based antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapies targeting hard-to-treat cancers, including glioblastoma.

ASOs are next-generation nucleic acid-based therapies that bind to specific gene sequences to inhibit protein production. The project aims to identify ASO drug candidates using AI and establish a semi-automated synthesis process based on domestic technology.

The project will run for 57 months and receive government funding of 5.7 billion won ($4.17 million).

The project also involves ST Pharm and Yonsei University Health System as co-research institutions. Sovargen plans to use its proprietary AI-based ASO screening algorithm to select hundreds of promising ASO candidates from a pool of hundreds of thousands, saving time and costs.

ST Pharm will develop semi-automated ASO synthesis technology, while Yonsei University Health System’s Brain Tumor Center will evaluate drug efficacy using patient tissue-based models.

The targeted disease, glioblastoma, is a highly aggressive brain tumor with severe genetic and molecular heterogeneity that makes it resistant to standard treatments like temozolomide and radiation. Its poor prognosis—with an average survival of only one to two years—and high recurrence rate underscore the urgent need for new therapies. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) further complicates treatment by limiting drug delivery to the tumor site.

To overcome these challenges, Sovargen aims to use ASOs that bind complementarily to target mRNA, regulating gene expression. ASOs can reach molecular targets inaccessible to small molecules or antibody therapies and can bypass the BBB through intrathecal administration, offering an advantage for brain delivery.

“AI-based ASO technology is a next-generation platform that can overcome the limitations of existing therapies,” said a company official. “With this project, we hope to develop precision medicine-based innovative new drugs that provide alternative treatments for patients.”