Space Seed Holdings Launches Proprietary Platform "BioMI" to Accelerate Drug Discovery and Functional Material Exploration

Space Seed Holdings Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kengo Suzuki; hereinafter "SS-HD") has launched "BioMI (Bio-Materials Informatics)," a proprietary research and development platform that accelerates the exploration and development of "effective molecules and materials" through information science. SS-HD also announced that it has filed for 8 patents as the first wave of inventions designed with BioMI.

BioMI is an initiative that adapts materials informatics (a methodology for efficiently narrowing down material candidates using information science), for which SS-HD has a track record in developing materials such as alloys and ceramics, to modalities in life sciences, such as drug discovery and functional materials. By mechanically narrowing down promising candidates from a vast number of possibilities and focusing limited experiments on valuable validation, it structurally reduces the speed and cost barriers of development.

Background: Exploration of Effective Molecules and Materials Still Relies Heavily on "Brute Force"

While candidates, including natural products and analogs, are virtually infinite, the conventional method of synthesizing and evaluating them one by one is neither time- nor cost-effective. The choice of which candidate to start with has often relied on experience and intuition, leading to low reproducibility and difficulty in accumulating knowledge within an organization. BioMI provides structure to this exploration process using information science.

Features of BioMI: From Exploration to Validation in a Single Pipeline

BioMI operates as a series of pipelines: candidate generation, constraint filtering, multi-objective optimization, novelty evaluation, and output of prioritized candidates. Users input three points: "target (target molecule/modality)", "conditions (constraints)", and "priority (weights)". The system handles the design of complex descriptors and model selection. The output is presented as a prioritized candidate list with justifications, visualizing "why that candidate was chosen."

Furthermore, it is equipped with a mechanism for iterative learning that reflects results from a small number of experiments into the model, improving prediction accuracy with each cycle and continuously making the exploration smarter.

Applications: Healthy Longevity and Space x Medicine

BioMI can be utilized for candidate exploration in the healthy longevity (longevity) domain, where its subsidiary Regenerosome Co., Ltd. is active, such as in the search for functional materials that act on various pathways related to aging.

Additionally, since opportunities and resources for experiments in orbit or simulated environments are limited, it is highly valuable to narrow down promising candidates and conditions using information science before conducting experiments. SS-HD positions BioMI as a design platform to support research in space environments, aiming for development that circulates knowledge between Earth and orbit.

Intellectual Property: 8 Patents Filed as First Wave

SS-HD has collectively built core technologies such as exploration methods and applications for healthy longevity and space as a single patent family. By securing both the foundational technology and its applications simultaneously, SS-HD strengthens its rights and plans to continue building its intellectual property portfolio through successive waves of filings.

CEO Comments

Looking towards the future, SS-HD's long-term goal is to establish the technologies necessary for humanity to inhabit space by 2040.

"Our mission is to turn science fiction into non-fiction," says Kengo Suzuki, Representative Director of SS-HD. "The methodology we've validated in materials development is also effective in life sciences. BioMI is a platform that supports not only finding effective molecules and materials but also how to narrow them down and how to validate them using information science. We will shape our commitment to aiming for space through research support, both in terms of intellectual property and implementation."

Future Developments

Following the first wave of filings, SS-HD will proceed with experimental validation of promising candidates and further development of the platform. Furthermore, through joint research with partners, SS-HD will expand applications in longevity and space x medicine, and connect these to commercialization while continuing to build intellectual property.

Future Application Areas Opened Up by BioMI

BioMI is a versatile development platform not limited to specific domains, and SS-HD will proceed with its expansion into the following areas:

1. Longevity Healthcare (Regenerosome)

BioMI will be utilized in the healthy longevity domain, where its subsidiary Regenerosome Co., Ltd. is active, for the exploration of functional materials that act on various pathways related to aging. It will optimize candidates for efficacy, safety, and ease of handling, continuously supplying seeds for modalities aimed at product commercialization.

2. Space Drug Discovery Utilizing SpaceAgent

SS-HD will engage in drug discovery in space environments by combining BioMI with "SpaceAgent," an experimental automation tool utilizing LLMs. Prior to experiments in orbit or simulated environments, where opportunities and resources are limited, promising candidates and conditions will be strictly selected using information science, circulating knowledge between Earth and orbit.

3. Enhancing the Functionality of Components from Traditional Fermentation Industries

In Japan's traditional fermentation industries, such as sake brewing, valuable potential lies in components generated during the process or in unused by-products. BioMI will be used to select and design these components, elevating them into high-value functional materials and fostering collaboration with regional industries.

4. Utilization of Functional Substances from Overseas Biological Resources

Biological resources from various countries, including Indonesia, contain diverse functional substances that have been traditionally used. BioMI will identify promising components and propose scientific evidence and concrete utilization methods, promoting international collaboration with resource-rich countries.

5. Collaboration with Corporations and Government Research Institutions

BioMI will be offered as an engine for design, analysis, and intellectual property, expanding collaborations with corporations and government research institutions. By combining partners' challenges and materials with SS-HD's exploration technology, the aim is to achieve social implementation of results through joint research and cross-licensing.

Company Overview

Space Seed Holdings is a space-focused deep tech venture builder that engages in investment, research, and business creation with the mission of "turning science fiction into non-fiction." Centered around programs such as the "Fermentation and Longevity Fund" that supports the social implementation of fermentation and longevity technologies, the company strives to create businesses that solve societal challenges. SS-HD aims to establish the technologies necessary for humanity to inhabit space by 2040, in collaboration with various stakeholders.

https://ss-hd.co.jp/