Global AI Drug Development Research Center Establishes a Strategic Global Partnership with Osaka University’s Institute N
- Date2026.05.26
- 273
Leading Research Institutions from Korea and Japan Join Forces to Build a Long-Term Framework for Collaborative Research and Academic Exchange
Ewha Womans University’s Global AI Drug Development Research Center (Director: Sun Choi) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute for Protein Research (IPR) at Osaka University (Director: Professor Genji Kurisu) to promote collaborative research and academic exchange in the field of artificial intelligence-based drug discovery. Through this agreement, the two institutions have established a long-term framework for cooperation.
The Institute for Protein Research at Osaka University is a world-leading research institute in structural biology and protein science. Through the elucidation of three-dimensional protein structures and the analysis of their functions, the institute advances a precise understanding of biological phenomena and provides essential infrastructure for structure-based drug discovery research. Led by internationally renowned researchers in structural biology and biophysics, the institute has produced pioneering achievements in protein structure and function research. It has also played a central role in the development, operation, and advancement of the Protein Data Bank Japan (PDBj), a major protein structure database. In addition, as a member of an international consortium that manages three-dimensional macromolecular structure data worldwide, the institute has taken a leading role in data sharing, quality validation, and the establishment of standardization systems. Through these efforts, it has strengthened the global foundation for sharing structural biology data and contributed to the advancement of data-driven life sciences and drug discovery research. More recently, the institute has expanded collaboration with Korea’s bio-data infrastructure through the “PDBj in Korea” partnership, which is linked to Korea’s National BioData Station initiative and aims to enhance the international connectivity and utilization of structural biology data.
A panoramic view of the Institute for Protein Research at Osaka University. / Courtesy of the Institute for Protein Research website
Established in 2020, Ewha’s Global AI Drug Development Research Center serves as an interdisciplinary research hub dedicated to transforming the entire drug development process through artificial intelligence. The center brings together faculty members from Ewha’s College of Pharmacy, College of Natural Sciences, College of Medicine, and Scranton College as research fellows, while distinguished scholars from leading institutions—including Seoul National University, Seoul National University Hospital, Yonsei University, Korea University, KAIST, POSTECH, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Hanyang University, Chung-Ang University, Korea Institute for Advanced Study (KIAS), Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the United States—participate as visiting research fellows. The center leads AI-driven drug discovery research through large-scale analyses of biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical data; studies of the three-dimensional structures and dynamics of drug target proteins; and the discovery and optimization of lead compounds for new drug candidates.
In particular, the center integrates research across the entire drug development pipeline, from fundamental studies investigating mechanisms at the quantum, atomic, and molecular levels to industrial applications involving the discovery of drug candidates. Leveraging its AI-powered structure-based drug design platform, AIDrug.re.kr, the center focuses on developing core technologies that enhance the efficiency and success rate of drug discovery while strengthening end-to-end research capabilities that connect these technologies to candidate identification and drug development. The center has also expanded collaborative research and fostered next-generation researchers through partnerships with pharmaceutical companies such as Yuhan Corporation, GC Biopharma, and Amgen Korea; domestic and international AI and drug discovery venture firms; the global scientific information analytics company Elsevier; and leading overseas institutions, including Peking University in China, National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, and Hokkaido University in Japan.
Through this partnership, the two institutions plan to expand cooperation in a wide range of areas, including AI-based protein structure analysis and drug target discovery, structure-based drug design, joint research projects, researcher and student exchanges, and the co-hosting of international academic events. By integrating structural biology with artificial intelligence technologies, the collaboration is expected to improve both the efficiency and success rate of drug discovery while strengthening global research competitiveness.
The partnership is also expected to reinforce international collaborative research networks, promote the development of a data-driven life sciences research ecosystem, and contribute to the training of next-generation researchers and the expansion of academic exchange. Through sustained cooperation programs and joint research initiatives, the two institutions aim to generate further academic and technological achievements in the field of AI-based drug discovery.
In particular, Professor Genji Kurisu was recently appointed as a visiting professor in Ewha’s College of Pharmacy through the Global AI-Based Innovative Drug Discovery Research Group, led by Professor Soosung Kang, Associate Director of the Global AI Drug Development Research Center, which was selected for Ewha’s Global Excellence Program (EGEP). Alongside Professor Tao Ye of Peking University, Professor Kurisu will contribute to strengthening an international collaborative research framework that connects experimental research with AI-driven drug discovery. Working in conjunction with the research group, which consists of interdisciplinary researchers from the College of Pharmacy, College of Natural Sciences, College of Medicine, and Scranton College, the center plans to further expand global collaborative research efforts in this field.