D&D Pharmatech (KOSDAQ: 347850), whose oral peptide delivery platform was licensed to Pfizer-acquired Metsera, has signed a master collaboration agreement with LG AI Research to apply generative AI to the discovery of next-generation oral peptide drug candidates. The deal pairs LG AI Research's EXAONE Discovery platform — a multimodal foundation model capable of processing unstructured scientific literature, molecular structures, and experimental data — with D&D's proprietary ORALINK oral peptide delivery technology, which has demonstrated superior oral bioavailability in preclinical models. No financial terms were disclosed.
The collaboration arrives one day after D&D reported positive Phase II data for its lead asset zabopegdutide (DD01), a liver-targeted GLP-1/glucagon receptor dual agonist in development for MASH, underscoring D&D's broader push to expand its peptide pipeline beyond existing licensed programs.
The partnership is structured as a closed-loop AI-augmented discovery engine. LG AI Research will use EXAONE Discovery to analyze disease-associated protein structures and generate de novo peptide sequences at scale; D&D will synthesize and validate candidates, then feed experimental results back into the AI model to improve its predictive accuracy. D&D will also apply ORALINK formulation technology to viable candidates and manage preclinical and clinical development globally. The arrangement covers multiple programs under a master framework, with individual projects to be initiated over time. No specific targets or indications have been disclosed, though D&D's existing pipeline focuses on metabolic, fibrotic, and neurodegenerative diseases, with GLP-1 biology as a central axis. LG AI Research — founded in December 2020 as the AI research division of LG Corp. (KRX: 003550) — has not previously disclosed a pharmaceutical peptide-specific collaboration; this appears to be its first such partnership.