[Edaily Reporter Kim Hyung-il ] Curacle ( curacle co., ltd.(365270)), a company developing new drugs for intractable vascular diseases, announced on the 26th that its development project for “CU72,” a treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis being jointly pursued with AI-based drug discovery firm Standigm, has been selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ “2026 Pharmaceutical and Biotech Venture Collaboration-Based Technology Development Project.”

This project will run for two years with a total R&D budget of 1 billion won. curacle co., ltd. will participate as the lead R&D institution, while Standigm will serve as a co-research and development partner. Through this project, the two companies aim to identify lead compounds for CU72.

CU72 is a novel small-molecule drug candidate currently under development for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a rare disease in which lung tissue becomes fibrotic without a specific cause, leading to a gradual decline in lung function.

Although antifibrotic agents such as pirfenidone and nintedanib are currently used for treatment, there is a recognized need for improvement in terms of therapeutic efficacy and the convenience of long-term use. curacle co., ltd. and Standime plan to address this unmet medical need by developing a treatment with a novel mechanism of action and drug properties.

Standime will be responsible for identifying the CU72 lead compound using its proprietary AI-based drug design platform, “STELLA.” curacle co., ltd. will handle the synthesis of small-molecule compounds, pharmacokinetic and safety evaluations, and efficacy verification using animal models to assess the development potential of the compounds identified by AI.

A lead compound is a substance selected from among various candidates for subsequent optimization after a comprehensive evaluation of its efficacy, selectivity, safety, and pharmacokinetic properties. Therefore, this project corresponds to the process of securing a promising compound during the early stages of CU72’s drug development.

Since signing a memorandum of understanding in 2023 for the joint global development and commercialization of new drugs, the two companies have continued to collaborate on the discovery of new targets and candidate compounds. Building on this government-funded project, they plan to combine AI-based drug discovery technology with curacle co., ltd.’s drug development capabilities to secure a new pipeline.

A curacle co., ltd. representative stated, “We plan to combine Standaim’s AI technology with curacle co., ltd.’s drug development capabilities to identify lead compounds for CU72 and advance them to subsequent development stages,” adding, “We will continue to discover new pipelines in the field of intractable diseases through open innovation.”