The research alliance brings together 100 million cellular data points in the TwinCell platform and genomic sequencing data from over 110,000 patients to target proteins that were previously refractory to conventional drugs.
Announcement of the French-Korean partnership for small-molecule therapeutics development
Importance of targeting genetic modifiers for hard-to-treat diseases
Division of roles between the TwinCell platform and 110,000 human genomes data
Preclinical development pathway and background of DeepLife and 3Billion
Frequently asked questions
Announcement of the French-Korean partnership for small-molecule therapeutics development
Paris-based bio-artificial intelligence company DeepLife and Seoul-based genomics firm 3Billion announced their joint collaboration on Monday, November 9, 2026, to develop novel drugs, according to the official press release issued by 3Billion.
The two companies plan to discover small-molecule-based treatments against novel biological targets with a focus on “genetic modifiers,” pairing DeepLife’s “TwinCell” virtual cell platform with human genomic data and 3Billion’s AI-powered medicinal chemistry platform across a multi-disease pipeline, without disclosing financial terms or naming specific diseases.
Importance of targeting genetic modifiers for hard-to-treat diseases
Genetic modifiers are defined as genes that influence whether a disease actually develops and its severity in individuals carrying the same disease-causing genetic mutation. The companies explain that these modifiers provide a promising pathway for treating a disease when the primary causative gene is difficult to target directly with drugs.
Jonathan Baptista, co-founder and CEO of DeepLife, stated: “The TwinCell platform allows us to reliably uncover causal and disease-associated targets that are otherwise invisible, many of which are still considered ‘undruggable’.” Meanwhile, Changwon Keum, CEO of 3Billion, emphasized that a decade of diagnosing rare diseases has given his company “a deep understanding of how genetic changes drive disease.”
Division of roles between the TwinCell platform and 110,000 human genomes data
DeepLife will deploy the “TwinCell” platform to build causal disease models starting from human single-cell and multi-omics data, relying on more than 100 million harmonized cellular data points to map the regulatory and signaling networks underlying diseases.
For its part, 3Billion will contribute genomic insights derived from more than 110,000 sequenced individuals, and will subsequently validate and characterize targets—including the discovery of novel binding pockets and allosteric sites—while designing candidate compounds through its intelligent chemistry platform.
Preclinical development pathway and background of DeepLife and 3Billion
The companies aim to advance a portfolio of therapeutic programs through preclinical development and investigational new drug-enabling studies before partnering with major pharmaceutical companies to develop the resulting assets. DeepLife was founded in 2019 and works with partners such as Innoveos Scientific to find new targets in inflammatory bowel disease, while 3Billion was founded in 2016 and serves over 2,000 healthcare practitioners across more than 80 countries.
Pavel Brantsev, Chief Business Development Officer at 3Billion, noted: “DeepLife’s virtual cell platform can reveal how these modifiers operate within diseased cells, an invaluable insight as we optimize compounds and push them toward development.”
The collaboration between Paris-based DeepLife and South Korean-based 3Billion reflects the maturity of a new generation of cross-border biotech partnerships. The systematic integration of causal virtual cell models and expansive clinical genomic databases enables the exploration of innovative therapeutic pathways for complex genetic disorders, with preclinical testing and subsequent drug trials serving as the scientific arbiters to prove the efficacy of discovered compounds. If both companies succeed in translating these molecular hypotheses from computational simulation to safe and effective laboratory drug compounds, it could unlock a vital therapeutic avenue for patients with rare genetic disorders who have not been adequately served by traditional drug discovery approaches. Upcoming laboratory validation stages will provide clearer indicators regarding the speed at which these joint programs transition toward clinical pharmaceutical partnerships.
Frequently asked questions
Question: What is the scientific focus of the DeepLife and 3Billion drug partnership?
Answer: It focuses on discovering small-molecule drugs that target genetic modifiers governing disease onset and severity when the primary causative gene is difficult to target directly.
Question: What is the volume of data contributed by each company to the joint ecosystem?
Answer: DeepLife’s TwinCell platform relies on over 100 million single-cell data points, while 3Billion contributes genomic data for more than 110,000 individuals.
Question: To which development stage do the companies plan to advance the candidate compounds?
Answer: They aim to take selected programs through preclinical testing and investigational new drug-enabling stages before licensing them to major pharmaceutical companies.
Question: Have the companies announced the financial transaction value or specific disease names?
Answer: No; the joint statement did not disclose financial terms for the collaboration nor did it specify targeted diseases for the initial phase.