Biobab AiBIO

About Biobab AiBIO

Baobab AiBIO, established in 2018, is a South Korean biotechnology firm specializing in the development of new drugs for intractable and rare diseases. The company was founded as a faculty startup from Yonsei University by Professor Kyoung Tai No and Professor Tae-il Kim. In 2019, In-sang Lee, formerly a new drug development manager at LG Life Sciences, joined as co-representative, and the company relocated to the Yonsei University International Campus in Songdo, Incheon. Professor No brings extensive experience from his 25-year leadership of the Bioinformatics and Molecular Design Research Center (BMDRC), a key institution in the history of AI-based drug development in Korea.

The company's core business revolves around its proprietary drug discovery platform, Bio-Space Voyager. This platform integrates artificial intelligence and quantum mechanics to accelerate the identification and development of novel therapeutics. A central component of its strategy is the use of cryogenic electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) to analyze the three-dimensional structures of target proteins at an atomic level. This approach is designed to overcome the limitations of traditional X-ray crystallography, enabling the analysis of previously 'undruggable' membrane proteins and large protein complexes. By obtaining highly accurate protein structure data, Baobab AiBIO aims to enhance the precision of its AI-driven drug design, which uses quantum mechanics algorithms like the fragment molecular orbital (FMO) method to achieve high prediction accuracy for target-ligand binding.

Baobab AiBIO's business model is focused on internal research and development, progressing from drug discovery to clinical trials. The company targets specific and challenging diseases, including those caused by KRAS mutations, which are common in pancreatic, colon, and lung cancers, and Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP), a rare hereditary disease with no approved treatment. One of its research programs involves 'BAB-104', which inhibits the interaction between YAP and TEAD, proteins associated with the Hippo signaling pathway implicated in cancers like glioblastoma. The company has secured significant venture capital backing, raising $14.3 million in a Series A round in March 2021 from investors including AJU IB Investment, Korea Development Bank, and LSK Investment.