[Edaily Reporter Kim Hyung-il ] BCWORLDPHARM Co., Ltd.(200780)announced on the 1st that it is utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to discover new drug candidates to combat antibiotic resistance.

BCWORLDPHARM Co., Ltd. has been selected as the lead research and development institution for the “Promising SME Technologies—AI Candidate Compound Screening” project under the “2026 SME Technology Innovation Development Project” organized by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Qnova, a company specializing in quantum computer-based computational chemistry solutions, will participate as a joint research and development partner.

This project aims to apply AI to the new drug development process and enhance the efficiency of identifying promising candidate compounds through collaboration between pharmaceutical and biotech companies and AI technology firms. BCWORLDPHARM Co., Ltd. plans to establish a drug design workflow with Qunova using AI- and quantum mechanics-based multi-target drug design technology. Through this, the company intends to identify candidate compounds to address antibiotic resistance.

Specifically, the goal is to secure lead compounds that simultaneously target pan-β-lactamases and penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs). Beta-lactam antibiotics target PBPs, which are involved in bacterial cell wall synthesis, while β-lactamases are one of the primary mechanisms that cause resistance by breaking down beta-lactam antibiotics.

BCWORLDPHARM Co., Ltd. plans to develop the lead compounds secured through this research into a new drug pipeline that can be advanced to preclinical development. The project is currently in the research phase for candidate compound discovery, and the development phase will proceed based on future research results.

AI is being utilized in the early stages of new drug development by analyzing large-scale compound data and predicting the properties and activity of candidate compounds. BCWORLDPHARM Co., Ltd. intends to enhance the efficiency of the candidate compound screening and optimization processes by integrating Qunova’s computational drug design technology.

Building on this government-funded project, BCWORLDPHARM Co., Ltd. will also expand collaboration with external experts in the fields of AI and computational drug design. The company plans to strengthen its drug R&D capabilities and secure new pipelines by combining open innovation with cutting-edge computational technology.

BCWORLDPHARM Co., Ltd. official stated, “This project is a meaningful research effort that combines our drug discovery capabilities with Qunova’s precision computational drug design technology to identify new candidate compounds for overcoming antibiotic resistance,” adding, “We will focus our R&D capabilities on securing competitive lead compounds to advance into preclinical development and expand our drug pipeline.”