LG Group (003550.KS) is expanding its presence in cancer treatment, including drug discovery, by combining artificial intelligence with biotechnology.
LG Chem (051910.KS) said on the 21st that it held the 2026 LG AI Bio Conference on the 20th at LG Science Park in Seoul, together with the LG AI Research Institute and Flagship Pioneering, a U.S. biotech venture capital firm. The event was held for the first time to build a Korea-based AI bio innovation ecosystem and widen global cooperation.
At the conference, LG Chem signaled its intent to lead innovation in precision oncology. "AI is evolving from a simple drug discovery tool into a core engine that determines competitiveness," said Son Ji-woong, head of LG Chem's Life Sciences Business. "Competitiveness in future drug development lies not just in finding structurally superior drugs, but in using AI to identify patients likely to respond well to treatment."
LG Chem also outlined progress on personalized messenger RNA cancer vaccines, a central task in its AI drug discovery project. mRNA cancer vaccines have drawn global attention since Moderna's recent success in a Phase 3 melanoma trial. While mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic taught the immune system to recognize the coronavirus, cancer vaccines train the immune system to learn and attack cancer cells.
LG Chem is building and refining an AI model that precisely predicts individual neoantigens, which trigger immune responses against cancer cells. Cancer cells develop genetic mutations absent in normal cells, producing protein fragments known as neoantigens. When the immune system recognizes them, it can attack cancer cells more effectively. LG Chem plans to conduct preclinical studies next year and enter full clinical development in 2029.
The LG AI Research Institute is also developing a cancer agentic AI system with Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the U.S. The system is designed to carry out the entire process, from analyzing a cancer patient's tissue to designing a treatment strategy, within a single day. It works through collaboration among multiple AI agents built on EXAONE Path, an AI developed by the institute, along with AI specialized in cancer pathology. The research was first presented in April at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting.
EXAONE Path, the core of the cancer agentic AI, predicts cancer gene activity in tissue within one minute from a single pathology image. Its high accuracy has laid the groundwork for reducing unnecessary tests and identifying early on which patients can be treated with targeted drugs. It is also the starting point for the personalized cancer treatment that LG Group is pursuing. Building on this, LG is in talks with global pharmaceutical companies and university hospitals on possible partnerships.
The results follow Chairman Koo Kwang-mo's emphasis on AI and biotechnology as future technologies that will change customers' lives. "Cases such as Moderna show that AI is establishing itself as a core driver of corporate growth," Andre Andonian, chairman of Flagship Pioneering Asia-Pacific, said at the conference. "LG Chem and Flagship Pioneering are expanding cooperation in life sciences with AI as a shared engine of innovation."