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NAVER D2SF Backs ImpriMed in $10 Million Series A2 Bridge Round
NAVER D2SF, NAVER's in-house corporate venture arm, has invested in Silicon Valley precision medicine company ImpriMed, joining ImpriMed's $10 million Series A2 bridge round. The round was led by LB Investment, with participation from new investors NAVER D2SF, Samsung Securities, and Alois Ventures, plus follow-on investments from existing investors BonAngels and Han River Partners; it follows ImpriMed's $23 million Series A in 2023. ImpriMed combines ex vivo analysis of patient-derived live cancer cells with genomic, immunophenotypic, and clinical data through its xCellSense platform, and is developing AI models trained on more than 3.5 million data points. The company is preparing to commercialize products for blood cancers and blood infection, targeting FDA clearance and CLIA certification by Q1 2027 for an initial U.S. launch, while in South Korea its multiple myeloma prognosis and therapy-response software has been designated an Innovative Medical Device by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. ImpriMed was co-founded by CEO Sungwon Lim and CTO Jamin Koo, and its human healthcare expansion is supported by veterinary precision oncology work covering more than 27,000 tests for canine and feline lymphoma, used by over 600 veterinary hospitals across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and South Korea.
Anthropic Establishes Biology Research Lab to Pursue AI-Driven Drug Development
US artificial intelligence developer Anthropic has established a biology research institute as it moves toward full-scale drug development using AI technology. According to two people familiar with the matter, the company has opened a wet lab experimental facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, aiming to develop treatments for rare diseases, and its biological research goes beyond the realm of computer simulation. Eric Kauderer-Abrams, head of the life sciences division, confirmed to Reuters on the 15th that the company operates a wet lab, saying its mission is to develop powerful AI that benefits the world, and that it sees the greatest potential especially in the life sciences field. A public relations representative later explained that the institute is not specifically aimed at drug discovery, but declined to comment further. Kauderer-Abrams said efforts to use AI to automate the execution of experimental work are still in their early stages, but could bring significant reductions in working time across many different processes, and that the company is approaching how to use it carefully and thoughtfully in order to improve its models and minimize risk in ways that facilitate and accelerate drug development. The diseases Anthropic is working to develop treatments for, and its progress, remain unclear.
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Ten ministries release 15th Five-Year Plan for the pharmaceutical industry; innovative drug sector surges, Hongbo Pharmaceutical hits 20% daily limit
On September 18, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and eight other ministries jointly released the 15th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry, proposing that by 2030, operating revenue of pharmaceutical enterprises above designated size will exceed 3.5 trillion yuan, with the innovative drug industry scale growing at an average annual rate of over 20%, and the number of products with global annual sales exceeding 1 billion US dollars reaching more than five. Boosted by this news, the A-share innovative drug sector rose at the open, with Hongbo Pharmaceutical hitting the 20% daily limit, Biopuxaisi rising more than 12%, and Zhendong Pharmaceutical, Baike Biotech, Hualan Co., and Chengdu Lead following higher. On the same day, the AI pharmaceutical concept strengthened again, with Berry Genomics and Hefu China hitting the daily limit, after Novo Nordisk and Anthropic announced a partnership to use Anthropic's AI models and Claude Science to support drug discovery and development. The power grid equipment sector moved higher, with Sun Cable, Zhongdian Xinlong, and Zhongchao Holdings quickly hitting the daily limit; market analysts noted that improving power industry conditions are driving demand for upstream power equipment, and expanding grid infrastructure orders are supporting steady growth in demand for transmission and distribution and smart distribution equipment. The CPO concept fluctuated higher, with Mingpu Guangci hitting the daily limit, after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said chip sales are expected to double from current annual levels by 2027; the tourism concept also strengthened, with Shaanxi Tourism hitting the daily limit, as tourism platform data showed flight bookings for this year's Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day period rose 44% year-on-year.
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