[Edaily Reporter Kim Seung-kwon] Autonomous laboratories utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and robots are revolutionizing new drug development. We have entered an era where automation extends beyond simple, repetitive tasks to include candidate compound screening, chemical synthesis, and reaction condition optimization.

Global Big Pharma companies are racing to adopt integrated AI and robotics laboratory infrastructure. Amid this trend, #JW Pharmaceutical is drawing attention for partnering with Jingtai Tech (Xtalphai), a global AI and robotics-based research and development (R&D) platform company, to build an autonomous laboratory faster than any other domestic pharmaceutical company. E-Daily’s pharmaceutical and biotech premium content platform, Pharm E-Daily, took a closer look at what the robotic clinical laboratory being built by JW Pharmaceutical will look like.

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? In new drug development, the quantity and quality of data directly determine the predictive accuracy of AI models. Previously, the number of experiments a single researcher could handle in a day was limited. To find the optimal synthesis route, researchers had to repeat the process of changing a single reaction condition and verifying the results dozens or even hundreds of times. During this process, reproducibility issues sometimes arose due to differences in manual dexterity among researchers.

The autonomous laboratory fundamentally changes this structure. Robots repeat experiments under identical conditions 24 hours a day. AI immediately analyzes the results to optimize the conditions for the next experiment. This creates a virtuous cycle of “high-throughput experiments → high-quality data → high-precision models.” The data accumulated in this way is used as training data for the company’s proprietary AI platforms, such as JWave, to continuously improve prediction accuracy.

The preparation of reagents and the synthesis of raw materials are considered the core tasks handled by the robots. The company expects that the introduction of this autonomous laboratory will improve experimental productivity fivefold and increase data acquisition capacity by more than 40 times. This makes it possible to automate the construction of compound libraries and the exploration of reaction conditions—processes that have long been considered bottlenecks in new drug development.

The collaboration between Jingtai Tech (XtalPai), which provides robotics technology, and JW Pharmaceutical has been ongoing for a long time. In 2023, the two companies conducted joint research on a new drug targeting STAT6 (signal transduction and transcription activator protein) through JW Pharmaceutical’s subsidiary, C&C Research Lab, and secured a highly active lead compound. While that collaboration focused on compound discovery for a specific target, the establishment of this autonomous laboratory is reportedly a follow-up project aimed at innovating the research infrastructure itself, building on those results.

Jingtai Tech is a Chinese R&D platform company that combines AI-based drug design with robotic automated synthesis technology. Jingtai Tech operates out of Shenzhen, China, and Boston, USA.

Jingtai Tech implements a closed-loop research system in which its proprietary AI model predicts optimal chemical reaction conditions, robots execute these conditions, and the resulting data is fed back to the AI. This approach automates the thousands of experiments that researchers previously had to perform manually, dramatically reducing both time and costs.

The robots first introduced in the autonomous laboratory are classified as mobile devices. Rather than being fixed in one place, they are autonomous robotic systems that move independently within the laboratory to transport reagents and synthesize raw materials. The entire process—from candidate compound screening to synthesis and reaction condition optimization—is carried out through the seamless integration of these mobile robots, high-throughput automated synthesis workstations, AI reaction optimization systems, and intelligent data analysis platforms.

It is understood that this technology is applied at the stage immediately preceding preclinical trials in the new drug development process. Once the chemical structure of a new drug candidate is designed, the raw materials must be synthesized before preclinical testing can begin. Previously, this had to be done manually by skilled researchers, and each experiment required a significant amount of time and money. The autonomous laboratory uses robots to take over this specific phase.

A pharmaceutical industry official stated, “The key is that robots will take over the task of designing new drug candidates, which is typically performed by clinical researchers,” adding, “To conduct preclinical trials based on chemical structures, raw materials are required, and mobile robots synthesize those materials.”

LG Chem’s ‘In-House Development’ vs. JW Jungwoo Pharmaceutical’s ‘Partnership Strategy’... Leading the Race for Speed

JW Jungwoo Pharmaceutical is not the only company in South Korea working to build integrated AI and robotics laboratory infrastructure. #LG Chem has also begun developing its own AI-based research automation system. However, unlike LG Chem, which has adopted an in-house development strategy, JW Jungwoo Pharmaceutical has chosen to accelerate its development by partnering with proven global platform companies.

#Celltrion is pushing forward with the construction of smart factories centered on physical AI in its manufacturing division. Celltrion plans to prioritize the automation of repetitive and standardized tasks and is also considering the introduction of humanoid robots in the long term.

What sets JW Pharmaceutical apart is its proprietary AI platform, JWave. JWave is a platform used for discovering new drug candidates and exploring indications, and a virtuous cycle is expected in which the large-scale experimental data generated by this autonomous laboratory will be accumulated as training data for JWave. In other words, the system is designed so that the more experiments the robots perform, the smarter the AI becomes.

The collaboration with U.S.-based Temperus AI is also drawing attention. JW Pharmaceutical is working with Temperus AI to develop new anticancer drugs based on organoids derived from cancer patients and clinical data. One possible scenario is that if the candidate compounds synthesized in the autonomous laboratory are linked to organoid-based preclinical screening, the entire early stage of new drug development could be integrated into a digital and automated system.

JW Pharmaceutical plans to expand this autonomous laboratory to cover all stages leading up to clinical trials. The company envisions applying robot- and AI-based automation to efficacy and toxicity evaluations using animal models during the preclinical phase and, furthermore, integrating this autonomous infrastructure into the entire process of compiling data packages required for entry into Phase 1 clinical trials.

JW Pharmaceutical recently secured a government grant related to autonomous laboratories. The specific project name and funding amount have not been disclosed. However, securing a government R&D grant can simultaneously achieve two objectives: validating technological capabilities and securing additional development funds. Some analysts also suggest that research achievements accumulated through government projects could accelerate future patent acquisition and technological advancement.

This strategic direction aligns with global trends. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is already revising its guidelines to incorporate AI-driven new drug development data into its approval review process. Global big pharma companies such as AstraZeneca, Merck (MSD), and Bayer are also each investing hundreds of billions of won in integrated AI and robotics research infrastructure.

A researcher in the biohealthcare industry predicted, “Shortening the new drug development cycle directly leads to higher clinical success rates and cost savings,” adding, “The high-quality data generated by autonomous laboratories will significantly enhance JW Pharmaceutical’s R&D competitiveness in the medium to long term.”