Oscotec (039200.KQ) unveiled an artificial intelligence (AI)-based platform designed to overcome anticancer drug resistance, presenting its strategy for next-generation cancer drug development. The company aims to achieve at least two licensing deals by 2030 based on its proprietary platform that uses AI to discover resistance targets.
Oscotec held its "Oscotec 2026 R&D Day" at the KOSDAQ Association auditorium in Yeouido, Seoul, where it presented its key research and development (R&D) strategies and mid- to long-term vision, including its anti-resistance cancer drug platform ACART (Anti-Cancer Anti-Resistance Therapy), the company announced on the 9th.
R&D Day, held annually since 2021, is an event to share the company's research and development progress and mid- to long-term strategies with the capital markets. Domestic and international pharmaceutical and biotech analysts and institutional investors attended the event, showing strong interest in the company's next-generation pipeline and platform strategy.
At the event, Oscotec introduced the development status of its key pipeline programs, including the anti-resistance cancer drug candidate OCT-598, the ACART platform, and the kidney fibrosis treatment project OCT-648.
The company focused in particular on the ACART platform, which it began pursuing in earnest with the establishment of a foundational technology team within its research institute in May. ACART is a platform that tracks in real time the process by which cancer cells acquire resistance to anticancer drugs and identifies the causes of resistance formation using AI-based single-cell morpholomics and systems biology technologies. The company plans to use the platform to discover new resistance targets and drug candidates.
Oscotec plans to expand its research infrastructure related to the ACART platform and reinforce its specialized workforce, while expanding domestic and international partnerships and joint research to strengthen its competitiveness in the anti-resistance cancer drug field.
Candidate development is also progressing smoothly. OCT-598, licensed in from Kanaph Therapeutics in 2022, is a first-in-class candidate that simultaneously inhibits EP2 and EP4, and is currently in Phase 1a clinical trials in Korea. The company is also preparing to enter Phase 1b trials in Korea and the United States.
The kidney fibrosis treatment project OCT-648 is a program based on a highly selective NUAK1 inhibitor, with the final drug candidate scheduled to be selected in the second half of this year.
"Over the past six months, we have completed three deals — ADEL-Y01, denfivontinib, and cevidoplenib — strengthening our virtuous cycle of research and development," said Yoon Tae-young, CEO of Oscotec. "With the funds secured through these deals, we have laid the foundation to actively invest in the ACART platform, which has global competitiveness."
"Anti-resistance cancer drugs represent a new therapeutic area aimed at overcoming the resistance and immune evasion of existing cancer treatments," Yoon added. "Our goal is to discover differentiated targets and drug candidates through the ACART platform and achieve at least two licensing deals by 2030."
