Senda Biosciences laboratory. Courtesy of Senda Biosciences

By Baek Byung-yeul

An investment fund created by Samsung Biologics and Samsung C&T invested $15 million into U.S.-based biotechnology company Senda Biosciences as part of their efforts to foster core technology required to develop next-generation biopharmaceuticals, Samsung Biologics said on Wednesday.

Samsung Biologics said the Life Science Fund, jointly formed by itself and Samsung C&T, decided to invest in Senda Biosciences, recognizing that the U.S. company has secured a superior programmable drug delivery platform.

"Senda Biosciences has a platform technology that applies artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to millions of nanoparticle big data found in animals, plants and bacteria to create an optimized drug delivery system," the company said.

Based on the platform technology, Senda is developing new mRNA vaccines and therapeutic drugs, Samsung Biologics added.

The U.S. company was established by venture capital company Flagship Pioneering, which is known for founding U.S.-based vaccine maker Moderna.

Senda's nanoparticle development technology not only enables efficient drug delivery but can also be applied to nucleic acids, gene editing, proteins and peptides. The company is expected to offer alternative treatments for autoimmune diseases, metabolic diseases and cancer illnesses.

Samsung Biologics plans to strengthen collaboration with the U.S. company when the development of new drugs using Senda's technology begins.

The Life Science Fund was kicked off by the two Samsung Group affiliates in July 2021. It made its first investment in Jaguar Gene Therapy, a U.S.-based gene therapy development company, in March.

Through the Life Science Fund, Samsung Biologics said it will keep discovering promising technologies and invest in innovative companies in Korea and overseas.