LG Chem is targeting 2029 to move its personalized mRNA cancer vaccine into clinical development, as the South Korean company uses artificial intelligence to identify cancer patients likely to benefit from treatment.
The South Korean chemical and pharmaceutical company is developing an AI model to predict neoantigens specific to each patient. The vaccine program aims to use those targets to prompt an immune response against cancer cells.
Patient selection is also central to LG Chem’s wider work in cancer treatment. The company is developing models to find biomarkers linked to treatment response and help choose participants for clinical trials. It hopes more precise selection will improve its chances of success in drug development.
LG Chem outlined the plans at the first LG AI Bio Conference in Seoul on Oct. 20. It held the event with LG AI Research and U.S. biotechnology venture capital firm Flagship Pioneering.
Son Jee-woong, who leads LG Chem’s life sciences division as president, said future competitiveness in drug development depends on using AI to find patients likely to benefit as well as finding the right drug.
Other speakers described ways AI could affect both patient selection and laboratory work. Inocras co-founder Lee Jeong Seok discussed how whole-genome data can help select cancer patients for targeted treatments. At Portrai, Chief Medical Officer Na Kwon Joong discussed using spatial biology to examine cells’ positions and interactions within tissue for AI-driven biomarker discovery and patient screening.
Insilico Medicine’s Jue Wang discussed a drug candidate discovered with generative AI that had reached clinical development. Lila Sciences’ Ryan Leung described laboratories where AI agents manage repeated rounds of design, synthesis, experimentation and learning. Flagship Pioneering Asia-Pacific Chair Andre Andonian cited Moderna and Lila Sciences while discussing AI’s growing role in biotechnology.
LG Chem’s next stated milestone for the vaccine is preclinical testing in 2027, ahead of its targeted move into clinical development in 2029.
