FRONTEO и PURMX Therapeutics запускают совместный проект по разработке лекарств на основе микроРНК для лечения сложных видов рака

FRONTEO starts PURMX cancer microRNA PoC with Springer Nature data KEY POINTS - FRONTEO and PURMX Therapeutics begin a PoC on microRNA drugs for hard-to-treat cancers - FRONTEO also invests in PURMX through a third-party allotment under its seventh DDAIF Innovation Bridge project - The study uses KIBIT and scientific literature analysis to identify target molecules and clarify drug mechanisms FRONTEO and PURMX Therapeutics have signed a proof-of-concept agreement to identify target molecule candidates and clarify mechanisms of action for microRNA-based nucleic acid drugs being developed for hard-to-treat cancers, the companies said on August 13. At the same time, FRONTEO will invest in PURMX by subscribing to a third-party share allotment. The investment marks the seventh project under FRONTEO's DDAIF Innovation Bridge program, launched in February 2026, which combines technical support through its Drug Discovery AI Factory platform with equity investment. The PoC will use FRONTEO's Drug Discovery AI Factory, or DDAIF, to analyze nucleic acid medicines whose active ingredient is unmodified natural microRNA. PURMX is developing those candidates for cancers where existing anticancer drugs have not produced sufficient effects. According to the release, the project will use FRONTEO's internally developed KIBIT artificial intelligence and natural language processing technology to analyze relationships among multiple target molecules and biological pathways as a network rather than examining single molecules in isolation. The analysis is intended to generate hypotheses on target molecule candidates and mechanisms that could explain antitumor effects. The companies will also use omics data and analysis results held by PURMX in the project, and PURMX will validate the generated hypotheses through experiments. The stated goals are to identify target molecule candidates and clarify mechanisms of action through DDAIF, and then verify those findings experimentally. FRONTEO said the analysis will cover the full text of papers published over roughly 25 years in about 600 journals from Springer Nature. The company said it is the only company authorized to analyze the full-text data of Springer Nature journal papers using AI through its collaboration with the publisher. PURMX, founded in January 2021 as a Hiroshima University spinout, is a clinical-stage drug discovery startup with multiple pipelines based on unmodified natural microRNA nucleic acid medicines. Its lead pipeline, MIRX002, uses miR-3140-3p as the active ingredient and is being developed for malignant pleural mesothelioma. The company is also conducting a Phase I clinical trial in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. MicroRNA is a type of non-coding RNA, meaning it does not serve as a blueprint for making proteins. According to the release, microRNA can regulate multiple genes at the same time, making it a potential drug discovery modality distinct from conventional medicines that typically act on a single target. The same multi-target characteristic has made mechanism analysis more complex, creating a need for network-level approaches. Japan's third-party allotment system allows a company to issue new shares to selected investors rather than offering them broadly to the market. The companies did not disclose the size of FRONTEO's investment. FRONTEO, founded in August 2003 and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth market, provides AI-based support tools across fields including drug discovery. The technology used in DDAIF is covered by 21 patents across Japan, Europe, the United States and South Korea. © Copyright 2026 IBTimes JP. All rights reserved.