[Edaily Reporter YU JIN-HEE ] #PenetriumBio announced on the 24th that an abstract on its innovative anticancer drug candidate “Penetrium” for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been officially accepted for presentation at the World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC 2026), to be held on September 12 at COEX in Seoul.

The research presentation will be delivered by Professor Sandip Patel of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, who is the first author of the paper. PenetriumBio is set to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July for a Phase 2 clinical trial targeting solid tumors, and the presentation is expected to draw significant attention from the global oncology community.

Professor Patel, who will deliver the presentation, is a world-renowned expert in anticancer and immunotherapy, recognized as a leading authority in early-phase clinical trials (Phases 1 and 2). In particular, he directly planned and oversaw the large-scale precision medicine clinical trial for rare cancers (DART), funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), and demonstrated the efficacy of combination immunotherapy.

Professor Patel, who previously served as co-chair of WCLC 2024, will participate in the upcoming WCLC 2026 Seoul conference as a keynote speaker and clinical research presenter. Notably, Professor Patel has also joined as the principal investigator for Penitrium’s U.S. Phase 2 clinical trial, providing strong support for the project’s success.

Penitrium, the focus of the abstract to be presented at this conference, differs from existing anticancer drugs that directly attack tumor cells. It is the world’s first AI-based, first-in-class innovative drug designed through generative AI to target the “tumor microenvironment” (TME) surrounding the tumor.

If we liken cancer to a “CIAAT” and the microenvironment in which that CIAAT grows to “soil,” Penitrium’s core mechanism lies in normalizing the soil itself, rather than the cancer cells. By regulating cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs)—which act as a protective barrier for cancer cells—Penitrium eliminates the environment that prevents anticancer drugs from penetrating the tumor, normalizes the microenvironment, and fundamentally overcomes pseudo-resistance.

Penitrium selectively blocks energy (ATP) production only in abnormally overactivated cells while preserving normal cells. Through this mechanism, it transforms “cold tumors”—which were unresponsive to immunotherapy—into “hot tumors” that actively respond to immunotherapy, thereby maximizing the synergy of combination therapy.

Jo Won-dong, Chairman of PenetriumBio, emphasized, “Approximately 90% of cancer-related deaths ultimately stem from metastasis,” adding, “PenetriumBio’s Phase 2 clinical trial for solid tumors—which normalizes the tumor microenvironment that underpins metastasis and treatment resistance, rather than targeting the cancer cells themselves—and this presentation at the world’s largest lung cancer conference, which highlights its potential, will be a meaningful step toward overcoming these limitations.”

In July, PenetriumBio will submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the U.S. FDA for a Phase 2 clinical trial—the world’s first of its kind using generative AI-based drug discovery technology—targeting solid tumors, which account for the majority of all cancer patients.

This U.S. clinical trial will be conducted using a “tumor-agnostic” design that targets only the common biological mechanisms of cancer, regardless of the location of the organ or tissue where the cancer originated. Penitrium is recognized for having secured overwhelming market potential—unparalleled by existing new drugs that were limited to treating single cancer types—by expanding its versatility to allow for combination therapy with not only existing targeted anticancer drugs but also the latest immunotherapy drugs.

Jin Geun-woo, co-CEO of PenetriumBio, stated, “If a microscope was a tool for examining a single ‘CIAAT’ within a tumor, generative AI is like a navigation system that reads the complex interactions of the ‘microsystem’ surrounding that CIAAT in real time. Penitrium started with a microenvironment-targeted mechanism that could not have been identified without generative AI,” he said. “Targeting solid tumors, which account for the majority of all cancers, we will begin to fully demonstrate our value through a U.S. Phase 2 clinical trial that is not limited to specific cancer types or combination chemotherapy regimens.”