LG to develop AI model to unlock secrets of Alzheimer's, cancers

Bae Kyung-hoon, third from left, chief of LG AI Research, poses with Lon Cardon, third from right, CEO of Jackson Laboratory, after signing a contract to co-develop AI models for Alzheimer’s disease and cancers, in this photo provided by LG Corp., Monday. Courtesy of LG Corp.

LG AI Research is set to develop an AI model to unlock the secrets of Alzheimer's disease and cancers with U.S. genomic medicine institution Jackson Laboratory, the AI arm of LG Group said Monday.

The two forged a partnership in December and recently signed a contract to develop AI models that analyze the cause and progression of Alzheimer's and cancers and predict the effectiveness of treatments, LG AI Research said.

The company expects it can create synergy with Jackson Laboratory, as the non-profit organization specializing in genomics, has vast research data on various genetic variants and muted genes related to the diseases.

Both parties plan to lay the foundation for personalized treatment research by developing an AI model that analyzes the prognosis of Alzheimer's and cancer and even determines how well a treatment regimen would work.

Degenerative brain diseases, including Alzheimer's, are closely related to genetics and aging, prompting numerous researchers and pharmaceutical companies to delve into uncovering their causes and finding treatment methods.

"The partnership involves training LG's generative AI, EXAONE, with Jackson Laboratory's data to analyze the diseases' causes and improve treatment efficiency," LG said.

For diagnosis and development of treatment of cancers, the two sides expect AI will significantly reduce the development time from drug candidate discovery to preclinical and clinical trials for cancer drugs.

They will develop a multimodal generative AI model to quickly diagnose cancer from pathology images without expensive and specialized tests. They also expect the AI model will be able to suggest personalized cancer treatment options to doctors based on patients' genomic information.

"LG AI Research continues to research and develop applications of AI across various industrial fields, and in particular, we will actively continue our R&D efforts to achieve meaningful results in the bio sector, which is a key future growth engine for LG," Bae Kyung-hoon, chief of LG AI Research, said.

LG is looking to AI, bio and clean-tech as its future growth engines. LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo previously emphasized the future potential of the bio business during his visit to North America last year, saying, "Although it's a small seed now, if we persistently work hard and continue to challenge ourselves, it will grow into a towering tree representing LG's future."