PROTEINA

What PROTEINA does

PROTEINA is a Seoul-headquartered biotechnology company founded in 2015 by SNU professor Tae-Young Yoon that has built the SPID (Single-molecule Protein Interaction Detection) platform, a proprietary single-molecule imaging technology for analyzing protein-protein interactions (PPI) with sensitivity approximately 100x higher than ELISA and 2x higher than global competing technologies. The company serves global pharmaceutical companies during preclinical and clinical drug development with PPI biomarker analysis services for mechanism-of-action validation, target engagement verification, optimal dose selection, and patient stratification, alongside academic and clinical diagnostic collaborations with institutions such as Emory University School of Medicine, Macrogen, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Beat-AML program.

The product portfolio spans hardware, software, and diagnostic solutions built on the SPID platform. Core components include Pi-Chip biochips (40-well and 384-well formats), Pi-View automated imaging devices using TIRF optical systems (second generation launched May 2024 supports 384-well plates and 600-700 data points/day), and Pi-InSight single-molecule counting software. Application-layer products include PPI PathFinder for target engagement and drug response analysis, PPI PathFinder BCL2 Dx as a venetoclax response prediction diagnostic for acute myeloid leukemia (validated at 100% sensitivity and 83.3% specificity, AUROC 0.94), and PPI Landscape, an AI-based antibody discovery platform generating approximately 5,000 antibody-antigen PPI data points weekly for de novo antibody design. The company operates a GMP-compliant production facility in Anyang with annual capacity of 20,000 Pi-Chips, maintains FDA GLP-compliant non-clinical testing status under 21 CFR Part 58, and holds ISO 27001 certification.

PROTEINA's business model combines three revenue streams: contract PPI analysis services for pharmaceutical companies under quote-based B2B arrangements, sales of diagnostic kits and reagents to clinical laboratories, and potential technology licensing of the SPID platform and venetoclax response prediction patents. The company had active service contracts with four global pharmaceutical companies and partnerships with JW Pharmaceutical, Da-an Bio Therapeutics, IDT, and Emory University as of mid-2025. Cumulative prior funding reached approximately KRW 414 billion (~$310M) from Korea Development Bank, LB Investment, and other institutional investors, supplemented by a KRW 150 billion government grant from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the Cloud AI Antibody Bank Construction project (2024-2026). PROTEINA received preliminary screening approval for a Kosdaq listing in July 2025 and is executing a new share issuance of KRW 21.63 billion in connection with the IPO process.

Name

PROTEINA

Legal name

PROTEINA, Inc.

Website

https://proteina.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

PROTEINA is a South Korean biotechnology company that developed the SPID platform for single-molecule protein-protein interaction analysis, serving global pharmaceutical companies with PPI biomarker services, companion diagnostics, and an AI-based antibody discovery platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Proteomics Diagnostics & Research Tools

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Protein Interaction & Structural Biology Platforms (cryo-EM, X-ray, NMR, biophysics) (HLAAAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering) (HLAAAIAB), Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI), Bioanalytical & Biomarker CROs (PK/PD/Immunogenicity) (HLAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Protein interaction analysis
• Single-molecule detection
• Diagnostic test kits
• Antibody discovery services
• Clinical biomarker analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. PPI Analysis Services: Contract research services providing PPI biomarker analysis for pharmaceutical companies during preclinical and clinical drug development stages. Revenue generated from service contracts with global pharmaceutical companies for analysis of drug-target interactions and efficacy prediction.
2. Diagnostic Solutions: Sale of PPI PathFinder diagnostic kits and related reagents for clinical testing, including PPI PathFinder BCL2 Dx for AML patient stratification.
3. Technology Licensing: Potential licensing revenue from proprietary SPID platform technology, antibody design platform (PPI Landscape), and venetoclax response prediction patents.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PROTEINA develops and commercializes its proprietary SPID (Single-molecule Protein Interaction Detection) platform for analyzing protein-protein interactions (PPIs) at single-molecule resolution. The company sells biochip consumables (Pi-Chip), automated imaging instruments (Pi-View), analysis software (Pi-InSight), diagnostic kits (PPI PathFinder BCL2 Dx, PROTEINA Spectra BCL2 Family Assay), an AI-based antibody discovery platform (PPI Landscape), and contract PPI biomarker analysis services to global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Product overview

PROTEINA offers a comprehensive portfolio centered on its proprietary SPID (Single-molecule Protein Interaction Detection) platform. The platform comprises integrated hardware (Pi-Chip biochips, Pi-View imaging device), software (Pi-InSight analysis), and associated reagents. Built on this core technology, PROTEINA provides two major solution lines: PPI PathFinder for target engagement analysis, drug response prediction, and the BCL2 Dx diagnostic product; and PPI Landscape for AI-powered antibody discovery and optimization. The company also provides PPI biomarker analysis services to global pharmaceutical companies and operates GMP-grade manufacturing facilities for biochips and reagents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SPID Platform: Single-molecule Protein Interaction Detection platform for analyzing protein-protein interactions with high sensitivity and resolution
• PPI PathFinder
• PPI PathFinder BCL2 Dx
• PPI Landscape
• Pi-Chip
• Pi-View
• Pi-InSight
• PROTEINA Spectra BCL2 Family Assay

Products and services

• SPID Platform Proprietary single-molecule imaging platform that rapidly and quantitatively analyzes proteins and protein-protein interactions (PPIs) in real-time at single-molecule resolution using TIRF optical technology; the foundational technology behind all PROTEINA products and services.
• PPI PathFinder Solution for pharmaceutical drug development that quantifies how drug compounds affect PPIs in patient clinical samples to enable target engagement analysis, optimal dose selection, and drug response prediction.
• PPI PathFinder BCL2 Dx Precision molecular diagnostic that analyzes patient-specific PPI network patterns to predict response to Venetoclax (BCL-2 inhibitor) therapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, providing clinicians with Go/No-Go decision indicators.
• PPI Landscape AI-based antibody drug discovery platform that generates antibody-antigen PPI big data and enables de novo antibody design with optimal binding affinity through CDR sequence analysis and binding affinity measurement.
• Pi-Chip Proprietary high-performance biochip with unique polymer coating that minimizes nonspecific protein adsorption and enables selective detection of target proteins and PPI complexes; available in 40-well and 384-well high-throughput formats.
• Pi-View (2nd Generation) Automated imaging device that captures fluorescence signals at single-molecule level using TIRF (Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence) optical system with autofocusing and full-chip scanning capabilities; second-generation supports 384-well Pi-Chip.
• Pi-InSight Single-molecule counting software that converts PPI information into accurate quantitative digital data by analyzing binding affinity through measurement of kinetic variables of PPIs reaching equilibrium state.
• PROTEINA Spectra BCL2 Family Assay Diagnostic kit for Venetoclax responsiveness prediction in hematological cancers through BCL2 family protein analysis, using the SPID platform.
• PPI Biomarker Analysis Services Contract research services providing PPI biomarker analysis for pharmaceutical companies during preclinical and clinical drug development, including mechanism of action validation, target engagement verification, and optimal dose selection.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% sensitivity and 83.3% specificity in predicting venetoclax drug response in AML patients using PPI biomarkers (AUROC 0.94)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Global Pharmaceutical Company C (undisclosed)majorTechnology or Integration · 1 June 2026PPI biomarker analysis service contract for degenerative brain disease treatment targeting innate immune complexes. Analysis to be performed during non-clinical development stage.
• Seoul National University (Prof. Baek Min-Kyung, Prof. Jung Jun-ho)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Collaboration for Cloud AI Antibody Bank construction project selected as national research initiative (3-year, 150억원 government funding). PROTEINA generates antibody-antigen PPI big data, SNU develops generative AI models, and validates AI performance.
• Emory University School of Medicine (Dr. Janghee Woo)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Global clinical validation partnership for PPI PathFinder BCL2 Dx using AML patient samples from Beat-AML clinical trial. PROTEINA installed Pi-View equipment at Emory labs for analysis of 400+ blood samples to validate diagnostic efficacy for venetoclax response prediction.
• MacrogenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023Multi-omics partnership for drug candidate discovery combining Macrogen's NGS genomic analysis with PROTEINA's PPI analysis technology for cancer and disease diagnostics and treatment development.
• Global Pharmaceutical Company A (undisclosed)coreTechnology or IntegrationLong-term PPI analysis service contract; clinical sample analysis since 2021; multiple ongoing collaborations for various therapeutic indications.
• Global Pharmaceutical Companies (multiple)coreTechnology or IntegrationFour global pharmaceutical companies with active service contracts for PPI analysis during preclinical and clinical drug development stages.
• JW PharmaceuticalmajorTechnology or IntegrationBiomarker development contract for STAT3 inhibitor JW2286. PROTEINA developing PPI-based biomarker analysis methods to predict drug efficacy for triple-negative breast cancer, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer applications.
• Da-an Bio TherapeuticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOU for TCR therapy development and optimization using PPI Landscape solution. Collaboration for antibody discovery and optimization for DN-101 TCR therapy.
• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLLS approved clinical validation using PROTEINA's technology for Beat-AML study. LLS provides clinical samples and funding validation while PROTEINA provides PPI biomarker analysis.
• Samsung Securities (Electronic Voting)minorOthersElectronic voting system provider for annual shareholder meetings.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Carterra: Provides high-throughput surface plasmon resonance (SPR) instrumentation for antibody characterization and protein interaction kinetics. Directly comparable to PROTEINA's SPID as a label-free protein interaction analysis platform serving antibody discovery and characterization workflows.
• Quanterix: Developer of Simoa single-molecule detection technology for ultra-sensitive protein biomarker measurement. Closely comparable to PROTEINA's single-molecule SPID platform in sensitivity-based detection of low-abundance proteins from clinical samples.
• Standard BioTools (formerly Fluidigm): Develops microfluidics-based protein analysis and single-cell genomics instruments. Comparable to PROTEINA's Pi-View instrument business in instrument-driven high-throughput protein/cell analysis for translational research.

Broad incumbents

• Olink (now part of Thermo Fisher Scientific): Proximity Extension Assay-based proteomics platform for high-multiplex biomarker discovery. Comparable to PROTEINA's PPI biomarker service business targeting pharma translational research, though at much greater scale and with broader proteome coverage.
• Bio-Techne: Major life science tools provider offering ProteinSimple branded reagents and instruments (including Simple Western and Single-Cell Western). Overlaps with PROTEINA's biochip/reagent business and PPI analysis reagents across pharma and academic customers.
• Nanostring Technologies (now part of Bruker): Spatial biology platform for multiplexed protein and gene expression profiling in clinical samples. Comparable to PROTEINA's translational biomarker business serving pharma companion diagnostics and translational research.

Emerging players

• AbCellera Biologics: AI-enabled antibody discovery platform using single-cell sequencing to screen natural immune repertoires. Comparable to PROTEINA's PPI Landscape antibody discovery business, with broader pharma partnerships but different underlying screening technology.
• BigHat Biosciences: Generative AI platform for antibody design integrating wet-lab high-throughput data. Directly comparable to PROTEINA's PPI Landscape AI antibody design offering with similar model-data co-design approach.

Regional players

• Lunit: Korean AI-driven medical imaging and biomarker company. Comparable as a Korea-based AI/biomarker peer serving pharma and clinical markets, though focused on imaging rather than protein interactions.
• Seegene: Korean molecular diagnostics developer with KOSDAQ presence and substantial diagnostic product commercialization. Comparable as a Korean peer operating GMP diagnostics manufacturing and global clinical sales channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/proteina-co

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors9 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PROTEINA