University of Oklahoma Confirms Cell Proliferation Inhibitory Effect of Novel Pancreatic Cancer Target Molecule Candidates Discovered by FRONTEO's AI Drug Discovery Support Service "Drug Discovery AI Factory"

FRONTEO Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Masahiro Morimoto; hereinafter "FRONTEO") conducted verification experiments on novel pancreatic cancer target molecule candidates*1 extracted by its AI drug discovery support service "Drug Discovery AI Factory" (hereinafter "DDAIF") at the laboratory of Professor Naoko Takebe, Department of Hematology and Oncology, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, which houses an NCI-designated cancer center. As a result, the cell proliferation inhibitory effect was confirmed at the University of Oklahoma, corroborating our prior studies*2. We are pleased to announce this.

Our company officially entered the US market*3 in June 2025 and commenced collaborative research*4 with the University of Oklahoma in July of the same year. This verification result represents a concrete advancement in that collaborative research. Both parties will now proceed with animal experiments, aiming to create new treatment options for pancreatic cancer, a disease with extremely high unmet medical needs*5.

Overview and Results of Verification Experiments

In 2025, FRONTEO used its proprietary equation-driven AI "KIBIT" and unique analytical methods to extract 17 candidate genes for pancreatic cancer drug discovery targets from approximately 20,000 human genes in just two days. Among these, cell proliferation inhibitory effects were confirmed in 6 genes in cell-based assays*2. Notably, four of these six genes had no reported papers linking them to pancreatic cancer, and the remaining two genes had only one previously reported paper (as of April 19, 2025), indicating extremely high novelty for these target molecule candidates*2.

Verification experiments were conducted at the University of Oklahoma, focusing on genes considered effective as drug targets among these candidate target molecules. As a result, inhibition of cancer cell proliferation was confirmed in experiments using various pancreatic cancer-derived cell lines. In particular, the inhibitory effect was observed even in cell lines with multiple different KRAS mutations, demonstrating its effectiveness.

In addition, based on the clinical insights of the University of Oklahoma team, patient stratification markers related to the targets were proposed, and hypothesis testing is underway regarding their association with key pathways suggested by the pancreatic cancer molecular network constructed by "KIBIT."

Future Outlook

Both parties will conduct animal experiments to accumulate further evidence. In parallel, they will also advance hypothesis testing regarding the mechanism of pancreatic cancer onset, accelerating research towards clinical development.

FRONTEO aims to implement these achievements in society through licensing out*6 and co-development with pharmaceutical companies, striving to deliver new treatment options to pancreatic cancer patients with limited treatment choices as soon as possible.

Comment from Professor Naoko Takebe, Department of Hematology and Oncology, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine

In the cell-based verification experiments conducted in our laboratory, cell proliferation inhibition was confirmed in various pancreatic cancer-derived cell lines.

At the beginning of the collaborative research, the target molecule candidates extracted by FRONTEO using DDAIF were extremely novel, with almost no reports in existing literature. Due to the scarcity of similar information, there was some skepticism among our laboratory members.

However, I vividly remember how the atmosphere in the laboratory clearly changed the moment we actually proceeded with the verification and confirmed the results. Now, the entire team is approaching the research with great excitement.

I am confident that these results represent a significant step forward in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. We hope to accumulate further evidence through animal experiments and other means, advance towards clinical development, and deliver it to patients as soon as possible. We want to move this challenge forward with FRONTEO for the sake of patients who still lack treatment options.

Overview of Collaborative Research between FRONTEO and the University of Oklahoma

FRONTEO and the laboratory of Professor Naoko Takebe, Department of Hematology and Oncology, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, have been conducting collaborative research since July 2025*4. FRONTEO is responsible for extracting drug target candidates and generating hypotheses regarding disease mechanisms using DDAIF, while the University of Oklahoma, based on Professor Takebe's expert knowledge, leads the verification of biological effectiveness. This aims to efficiently identify promising drug targets in disease areas with high unmet medical needs.

The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine is one of the nation's leading medical research institutions, housing the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, an NCI-designated cancer center. Currently, over 300 clinical trials*7 and more than 400 cancer research projects*8 are underway at the center.

Pancreatic Cancer with Extremely High Unmet Medical Needs

Pancreatic cancer has a 5-year survival rate of less than 10%*9, which is the lowest level among all cancer sites.