CALICI and CellFree Sciences Sign Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Drug Discovery between Korea and Japan

CALICI, a protein structure-based AI drug discovery (SBDD) company headquartered in the U.S. and Korea, has recently signed an agreement with CellFree Sciences (CFS), a Japanese company based in Yokohama known for its wheat germ cell-free protein expression technology and MaZiQ array™ system—an array of unmodified human genomic protein beads.

This partnership aims to advance the development of treatments for infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, and cancer by combining CALICI’s expertise in AI modeling and drug candidate optimization with CFS’s services for in silico and experimental protein interaction research, target validation/off-target analysis, and mechanism of action studies.

The two companies have agreed to act as mutual agencies for each other’s services in Korea and Japan, promoting cross-border collaboration and enabling smoother access to their innovative technologies. A non-public joint research project between CALICI and CFS has also been initiated.

“CFS’s MaZiQ array® will validate the results of AI-designed drug candidates and add meaning to experimental success. Through this, our partnership will be able to provide new drug development companies with higher value-added services,” said Satoshi Ozawa, CEO of CFS.

Dr. Jae Moon Choi, CEO of CALICI, stated, “This partnership symbolizes a new era of drug development, and aims to create synergies by combining the unique technologies of both companies to develop more efficient new drugs and treatments for diseases.” He added, “I expect that the two companies will be able to provide breakthrough solutions to both countries faster and more efficiently together.”