Roche Bets 76 Billion Won on AI: 'Brain Disease Treatment Is Now Possible'

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche has embarked on an ambitious collaboration leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to solve the long-standing challenge in brain disease treatment: crossing the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB). Roche announced on November 3rd that it has signed an initial agreement worth $55 million (approximately 76 billion won) with Manifold Bio, an AI-specialized biotech startup based in Boston. This agreement aims to discover and develop 'molecular shuttles' that can effectively deliver drugs to brain tissue using AI technology. The Blood-Brain Barrier is a biological defense mechanism that protects the brain, blocking not only harmful substances but also therapeutic agents, making brain disease treatment extremely difficult. Roche's latest collaboration is being hailed as an innovative approach to overcome this barrier.

Roche Bets 76 Billion Won on AI: 'Brain Disease Treatment Is Now Possible' photo 1

Manifold Bio's distinctive technological capability lies in its AI-based in vivo evaluation system. While traditional drug discovery methods primarily involve screening thousands of candidate substances in vitro, Manifold has developed a platform that directly measures the effectiveness of molecular shuttles within living organisms. This allows for the evaluation of thousands of potential BBB crossing pathways, enabling rapid identification of the most effective shuttles. Gleb Kuznetsov, CEO of Manifold, emphasized, "Now, we can enter clinical trials not with our hands tied, but with molecules designed to fully reach the brain." Roche could ultimately pay over $2 billion (approximately 2.76 trillion won) upon achieving milestones, and will also provide royalties to Manifold based on product sales. This agreement represents a strategic move by Roche to transform AI into a core infrastructure for drug development. Roche currently has 21 neuroscience programs in human clinical trials, focusing on developing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease, as well as rare diseases including multiple sclerosis. Last year, Roche's neuroscience product sales reached 9.3 billion Swiss francs (approximately 14 trillion won), accounting for 20% of its total pharmaceutical sales, making it a key business area. Roche has already held a leading position in BBB shuttle technology for over 15 years, developing candidate substances such as the Alzheimer's treatment trontinemab, which utilizes shuttle technology. Through its collaboration with Manifold, Roche aims to prove that AI is not merely an experimental tool, but an innovative engine that will change the paradigm of brain disease treatment.