What Deargen does

Deargen Inc. is a South Korea-based, privately held AI-driven drug discovery company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Seoul, with an R&D center in Daejeon and a US representative office in Suwanee, Georgia. The company has built a proprietary deep-learning platform called Dr.UG, which integrates four functional modules: DearTRANS (genome data analysis and biomarker prediction), DearDTI (drug-target interaction analysis for target discovery), MolEQ (molecule selection and lead optimization), and a Lead Optimization component. The platform spans the drug discovery workflow from target identification through molecule design, with a stated emphasis on treating undruggable disease targets using AI-driven precision medicine.

Deargen serves two principal customer segments: pharmaceutical and biotech companies that access its AI platform for drug discovery and target identification, and medical research institutions and hospitals engaged in joint research and biomarker discovery. The company's revenue model is enterprise B2B, monetized through direct sales of platform access/collaborations with pharma and biotech firms, supplemented by co-development and joint research partnerships (e.g., Serengen for drug discovery acceleration, Samsung Medical Center for precision medicine research). Specific pricing, contract structures, and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed; total disclosed funding is approximately US$19.2 million across a 2018 government TIPS grant, a 2020 Series A of ~US$2.6M, and a 2022 Series B of ~US$17M. Go-to-market is primarily direct enterprise engagement complemented by industry conferences and strategic partnerships, with a US office established to support overseas market entry.

Name

Deargen

Legal name

Deargen Inc.

Website

https://deargen.me

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Deargen is a South Korea-based AI-driven drug discovery company whose proprietary Dr.UG deep learning platform identifies disease targets and designs small molecule drugs for pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical research customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

AI Drug Discovery Platform

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

AI/ML Platforms for Drug Discovery & Experiment Optimization (HLAGAJAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

AI/ML-Enabled Biologic Discovery Platforms (computational design, in silico screening) (HLAAAIAE), Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI), Translational Medicine & Biomarkers (HLAIALAF)

Keywords

• AI drug discovery
• Deep learning pharma
• Genome biomarker analysis
• Drug-target interaction
• Lead optimization platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Daejeon

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Deargen provides an AI-based genome analysis and drug discovery service built on its proprietary Dr.UG deep learning platform, integrating genome data analysis, biomarker prediction, molecule selection, and lead optimization. The company enables pharmaceutical and biotech customers to discover new disease targets and design small molecules for precision medicine, with an emphasis on treating undruggable diseases. Core offerings combine software platform capabilities with collaborative drug discovery research through joint agreements with pharmaceutical companies and medical centers.

Product overview

Deargen offers a unified AI platform called Dr.UG, which encompasses multiple integrated modules: DearTRANS (genome data analysis and biomarker prediction), DearDTI (target discovery), MolEQ (molecule selection), and Lead Optimization. The platform leverages deep learning technology to support the complete drug discovery pipeline from target identification through molecule optimization for precision medicine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dr. UG: AI platform for developing new drugs based on DEARGEN's deep learning technology, specializing in genome data analysis, biomarker prediction, molecule selection and optimization.
• DearTRANS
• DearDTI
• MolEQ

Products and services

• Dr.UG AI platform for developing new drugs, specialized in genome data analysis, biomarker prediction, molecule selection and optimization, enabling discovery of new disease targets and design of small molecules for precision medicine. Targeted at pharmaceutical, biotech, and clinical research customers.
• DearTRANS AI-powered module for genome data analysis and biomarker prediction, used for interpreting genomic information and identifying biomarkers relevant to drug discovery and precision medicine.
• DearDTI AI-powered target discovery capability focused on drug-target interaction analysis to identify and validate biological targets for drug development.
• MolEQ AI-powered molecule selection and lead optimization capability used for identifying candidate molecules and optimizing leads in the drug discovery pipeline.
• Lead Optimization AI-powered lead optimization capability for refining and improving drug candidate molecules as part of the drug discovery workflow.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SerengencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeargen and Serengen partnered to accelerate drug discovery using AI-powered platform technologies. This strategic collaboration focuses on combining双方的 expertise in AI-driven drug discovery to develop novel therapeutic candidates.
• Samsung Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeargen signed a joint research agreement with Samsung Medical Center for collaborative research initiatives in AI-powered healthcare and drug discovery applications. The partnership aims to advance precision medicine through joint research projects.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Exscientia: AI-driven precision medicine company with end-to-end drug discovery capabilities from target identification through clinical design — comparable business model centered on pharma partnerships and co-development.
• Insilico Medicine: AI-driven drug discovery company with explicit focus on undruggable targets and end-to-end pipeline from target ID to clinical development — the most directly comparable competitor to Deargen's positioning and platform breadth.
• Recursion Pharmaceuticals: AI-driven drug discovery platform combining high-throughput biology with deep learning across target identification, hit generation, and lead optimization — competes directly with Dr.UG's end-to-end workflow offering.
• Schrödinger: Computational drug discovery platform offering physics-based and AI/ML tools for molecular design and lead optimization — directly overlaps with Deargen's MolEQ and lead optimization modules and serves similar pharma/biotech customers.
• XtalPi: AI + physics-based drug discovery platform covering small molecule design and lead optimization — closely mirrors Deargen's molecule selection and lead optimization capabilities and targets similar pharma customers.
• BenevolentAI: AI-driven drug discovery combining target identification, molecular design, and clinical strategy — competes in similar pharma partnership business model and addresses comparable therapeutic areas including undruggable targets.

Regional players

• Standigm: Korean AI drug discovery company with end-to-end pipeline from target ID to lead optimization — most direct regional comparable, operating in the same Korean ecosystem and competing for the same Samsung Medical Center-tier hospital partnerships.
• PharmCADD: Korean AI drug discovery company offering platform-based molecular design services — regional comparable in the Korean ecosystem, competing for similar pharma partnerships though narrower in scope than Deargen's full Dr.UG platform.

Emerging players

• Atomwise: AI small molecule discovery platform focused on hit identification and lead optimization via deep learning — partial overlap with Deargen's MolEQ and lead optimization modules, though more focused on hit generation than target discovery.

Broad incumbents

• Isomorphic Labs: Alphabet-backed AI drug discovery company leveraging DeepMind's foundation models for drug design — operates at vastly greater scale than Deargen but addresses the same pharma partnership market with deeper AI/ML capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deargen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors7 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 Deargen