SOCIUM
SOCIUM is a Tokyo-based AI drug-discovery venture founded in 2017 that uses proprietary AI platforms (Compound-Eyes™, Drug Saver™, Cyber-Drug-Discovery™) and a patented phosphorylation-analysis system (Phospho-Totum) to reposition existing drugs and develop first-in-class small molecules, primarily for rare diseases, serving pharmaceutical companies, research institutions, and hospitals through B2B partnerships and clinical collaborations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SOCIUM does
SOCIUM Inc. is a Tokyo-based, privately-held AI drug-discovery venture founded in September 2017 by CEO Katsuhisa Horimoto, Ph.D., that develops first-in-class small molecules through drug repositioning focused on rare and intractable diseases, alongside a proprietary phosphorylation-analysis service business. The technical core comprises three in-house AI platforms — Compound-Eyes™ (target identification from gene-expression patterns), Drug Saver™ (repositioning of existing drugs into new indications), and Cyber-Drug-Discovery™ (mechanism-of-action elucidation) — combined with Phospho-Totum, a patented platform (Patent No. 6884389) that simultaneously measures phosphorylation of 1,471 protein substrates on glass arrays and infers activation of 273 signaling pathways and 185 kinases. This coupling of computational prediction with wet-lab pathway readouts underpins the company's Umbrella Drug Discovery strategy, which seeks a single compound effective across multiple diseases sharing common molecular mechanisms.
SOCIUM's commercial activity operates through three workstreams: (1) phosphorylation analysis services sold to pharmaceutical companies, research institutions, and universities globally (Japan, China, distributed in the U.S. by Canon Virginia), (2) AI-platform licensing and co-development partnerships with Japanese pharma (e.g., Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma on tauopathy neuroprotection, RaQualia Pharma on orphan indications) and Chinese partners (LTT Bio-Pharma, Suzhou Brainlight Biomedical Technology), and (3) internal drug-candidate development. The clinical-stage pipeline is led by SO-002 (cycloserine, repositioned for ALS; Patent No. 7660827) — granted PMDA Phase I exemption and Phase II approval in January 2023, with an investigator-initiated trial at Sichuan University Huaxi Hospital that completed enrollment of 20 ALS patients in June 2026 — and SO-003, a TDP43 aggregation inhibitor for muscle cells in TDP43 protein-opathy, in an investigator-initiated trial at Nanjing Medical University Sir Run Run Hospital (kickoff December 2025), with a joint patent application accepted in May 2025.
Revenue mechanics are early-stage and not publicly disclosed. The company has been capitalized primarily through Series A and Series B rounds totaling approximately ¥510M (~$4.6M) led by University of Tokyo Edge Capital, additional Series B participation from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), a ~$1M NEDO grant in 2018, and equity crowdfunding via FUNDINNO in 2024-2025. Headcount is in the 11-50 range; headquarters are in Nihonbashi-Kabuto-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, with research operations now at Shonan Health Innovation Park (Shonan iPark), Fujisawa, Kanagawa (relocated September 2025) and a growing clinical and commercial footprint across China and the United States.
SOCIUM firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SOCIUM
- Legal name
- SOCIUM Inc.
- Website
- https://socium.co.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SOCIUM is a Tokyo-based AI drug-discovery venture founded in 2017 that uses proprietary AI platforms (Compound-Eyes™, Drug Saver™, Cyber-Drug-Discovery™) and a patented phosphorylation-analysis system (Phospho-Totum) to reposition existing drugs and develop first-in-class small molecules, primarily for rare diseases, serving pharmaceutical companies, research institutions, and hospitals through B2B partnerships and clinical collaborations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SOCIUM industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Drug Discovery Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AI/ML Platforms for Drug Discovery & Experiment Optimization (HLAGAJAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI), Proteomics & Mass Spectrometry Services (HLAGANAB)
Keywords
Where SOCIUM is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
SOCIUM business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Phosphorylation Analysis Services: Provides phosphorylation pathway analysis services to pharmaceutical companies, research institutions, and universities globally. Measures phosphorylation levels and estimates kinase activity for drug discovery and validation purposes.
- Drug Discovery Licensing and Partnerships: Licenses proprietary AI drug repositioning platforms to pharmaceutical partners. Revenue from strategic alliances for co-development of drug candidates, particularly in rare diseases.
- Drug Development: Developing proprietary drug candidates (SO-002, SO-003) for rare diseases. Revenue potential through licensing out drug candidates post-clinical validation.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
SOCIUM product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SOCIUM is an AI-driven drug discovery and development company that uses proprietary AI platforms (Compound-Eyes™, Drug Saver™, Cyber-Drug-Discovery™) to identify new indications for existing drugs through drug repositioning, with a focus on rare diseases such as ALS and TDP43 protein-opathy. The company also offers Phospho-Totum, a comprehensive phosphorylation analysis service that measures phosphorylation states of 1,471 proteins on glass plates to estimate kinase activity and pathway activation for drug mechanism validation. Its pipeline includes two therapeutic candidates (SO-002 for ALS and SO-003 for TDP43 protein-opathy) currently in investigator-initiated clinical trials.
Product overview
SOCIUM is a drug discovery venture company offering two main segments: (1) Discovery and Development of Drugs using proprietary AI platforms (Compound-Eyes™, Drug Saver™, Cyber-Drug-Discovery™) for drug repositioning to find new indications for existing drugs, and (2) Phosphorylation Analysis Services through Phospho-Totum, the world's first system that comprehensively measures phosphorylation states in cells. The company's Umbrella Drug Discovery strategy explores single drugs for multiple diseases with common molecular mechanisms. Current pipeline includes SO-002 (ALS treatment candidate in clinical trials) and SO-003 (TDP43 protein-opathy treatment candidate in clinical trials).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Compound-Eyes™: Proprietary AI drug discovery platform for identifying novel drug targets
- Drug Saver™
- Cyber-Drug-Discovery™
- Phospho-Totum (Patent No. 6884389)
Products and services
- Phospho-Totum Phosphorylation Analysis Service World's first comprehensive phosphorylation analysis service that measures phosphorylation states of 1,471 protein substrates on glass plates and estimates kinase activity and pathway activation. Provided to pharmaceutical companies, research institutions, and universities globally for drug mechanism validation and kinase activity profiling.
- AI-Driven Drug Discovery and Repositioning Service Drug discovery and repositioning service using proprietary AI platforms (Compound-Eyes™, Drug Saver™, Cyber-Drug-Discovery™) to identify new indications for existing drugs and discover first-in-class small molecule candidates, with focus on rare diseases and unmet medical needs. Delivered via strategic alliances, co-development agreements, and licensing partnerships with pharmaceutical companies.
- SO-002 (ALS Therapeutic Candidate) Therapeutic drug candidate (cycloserine) for ALS treatment that restores ALS patient gene expression patterns to healthy levels. Discovered through SOCIUM's proprietary computational AI analysis. Currently in Phase II investigator-initiated clinical trial at Sichuan University Huaxi Hospital in China. Patent-protected (Patent No. 7660827) and PMDA-approved.
- SO-003 (TDP43 Protein-opathy Therapeutic Candidate) Therapeutic drug candidate targeting muscle cells for TDP43 protein-opathy. Reduces TDP-43 aggregation in muscle cells and is expected to improve lower motor neuron function. Joint patent filed with Nanjing Medical University. Investigator-initiated clinical trial underway at Nanjing Medical University Sir Run Run Hospital.
Quantifiable outcome
- Target enrollment of 20 ALS patients achieved in approximately 6 months for SO-002 clinical trial
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use SOCIUM
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SOCIUM technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature5 records
SOCIUM partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Nanjing Medical University Sir Run Run HospitalcoreSecond investigator-initiated clinical trial for TDP43 aggregation inhibitor (SO-003) targeting muscle cells in TDP43 protein-opathy. Kickoff meeting held November 2025.
- LTT Bio-Pharma Co.LtdcoreStrategic joint research agreement to combine SOCIUM's AI drug repositioning platform with LTT Bio-Pharma's proprietary disease model evaluation system. Aims to create a drug repositioning ecosystem combining biology and AI, and accelerate Japan-China drug discovery collaborations.
- Suzhou Brainlight Biomedical Technology Co., Ltd (苏州铂莱特医药科技有限公司)coreCooperation agreement covering phosphorylation array analysis services, therapeutic drug seeds discovery and development, and investigator-initiated clinical trials. Combines SOCIUM's drug repositioning technology with Suzhou Brainlight's compound synthesis and efficacy verification technology.
- Sichuan University Huaxi HospitalcoreConducting investigator-initiated clinical trial for ALS treatment candidate SO-002 at one of China's largest hospitals (4,900 beds, ranked 2nd nationally). Trial approved by ethics committee in September 2024.
- Nanjing Medical UniversitycoreLong-standing Japan-China collaboration for drug development. Includes joint research, joint patent filings, and clinical trial coordination. Part of JICA-supported Japan-China Cooperation Project.
- Canon Virginia, Inc.minorUS partner promoting phosphorylation analysis services and supporting exhibition at conferences including AACR Annual Meeting 2026.
- Virginia Commonwealth UniversityminorJoint research collaboration on phosphorylation analysis for acute myeloid leukemia drug mechanism elucidation. Published in Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (IF 40.8).
- Johns Hopkins UniversityminorMeetings held during US promotion tour to explore collaboration on phosphorylation services.
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)coreSOCIUM originated from AIST. Ongoing joint research and technology development. AIST provided Series B investment through third-party allocation.
- Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd.minorJoint research agreement for revealing neuroprotective mechanism in tauopathy using SOCIUM's drug discovery platforms.
- RaQualia Pharma Inc.minorJoint research agreement for discovering orphan indications for RaQualia Pharma's specific compound using SOCIUM's AI platforms.
- Keio UniversityminorJoint research agreement for AI-driven drug discovery for aging-related diseases.
- Tokushima UniversityminorJoint research agreement for AI-driven drug discovery for rare gastrointestinal tumors.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SOCIUM competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Healx: AI-driven drug repurposing company specifically focused on rare diseases. Most comparable to SOCIUM's rare disease repositioning strategy, though typically working with existing approved drugs rather than proprietary small molecule discovery.
- Kinexus Bioinformatics: Specialty proteomics services company focused on kinome analysis, signaling pathway profiling, and phosphorylation-related services. Comparable to SOCIUM's Phospho-Totum phosphorylation analysis service for kinase activity profiling and drug mechanism studies.
- Cyclica: AI-augmented drug discovery platform focused on polypharmacology, deep profiling of compounds, and drug repositioning. Comparable to SOCIUM's multi-target/disease approach, though smaller scale and focused more on platform partnerships than internal pipeline.
Direct peers
- Exscientia: AI-native pharma company using AI for small molecule design and drug discovery partnerships with major pharma. Direct competitor in AI-driven small molecule discovery, with established pharma partnerships and clinical assets overlapping SOCIUM's repositioning and first-in-class focus.
- Insilico Medicine: AI-driven drug discovery company with end-to-end platform spanning target identification, generative chemistry, and clinical development. Comparable to SOCIUM's AI repositioning approach, with a similarly broad Asia-Western footprint but deeper capital and multiple clinical-stage assets.
- XtalPi: AI- and physics-based drug discovery company combining computational chemistry with automation for small molecule design and crystal structure prediction. Closely comparable Asian-headquartered AI drug discovery peer with similar platform approach and pharma partnerships.
- BenevolentAI: AI drug discovery company using knowledge graphs and ML to identify new drug targets and indications. Directly comparable to SOCIUM's drug repositioning focus on identifying new indications for existing compounds, especially for rare and underserved diseases.
- Recursion Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage AI drug discovery company combining high-throughput biology with proprietary ML to identify novel therapeutics across multiple indications. Direct competitor to SOCIUM's Compound-Eyes™ and Drug Saver™ platforms, with a much larger pipeline and capital base.
- Schrödinger: Physics-based computational platform company providing software and services for drug discovery, including target identification and molecular design. Comparable to SOCIUM's computational/AI platforms but with a software-centric business model and broader pharma customer base.
Broad incumbents
- Cell Signaling Technology: Major provider of antibodies, kits, and services for cell signaling research, including phosphorylation analysis. Closest direct comparator for SOCIUM's Phospho-Totum phosphorylation analysis service, operating at much larger scale across global pharma and academic customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SOCIUM social profiles
Digital presenceSOCIUM financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SOCIUM leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
SOCIUM funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SOCIUM M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SOCIUM
What does SOCIUM do?
SOCIUM is an AI-driven drug discovery and development company that uses proprietary AI platforms (Compound-Eyes™, Drug Saver™, Cyber-Drug-Discovery™) to identify new indications for existing drugs through drug repositioning, with a focus on rare diseases such as ALS and TDP43 protein-opathy. The company also offers Phospho-Totum, a comprehensive phosphorylation analysis service that measures phosphorylation states of 1,471 proteins on glass plates to estimate kinase activity and pathway activation for drug mechanism validation. Its pipeline includes two therapeutic candidates (SO-002 for ALS and SO-003 for TDP43 protein-opathy) currently in investigator-initiated clinical trials.
Is SOCIUM a public or private company?
SOCIUM is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was SOCIUM founded?
SOCIUM was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SOCIUM based?
SOCIUM is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does SOCIUM make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Phosphorylation Analysis Services are the primary driver. The others are drug Discovery Licensing and Partnerships and drug Development.
Who are SOCIUM's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Healx, Kinexus Bioinformatics and Cyclica. Direct peers are Exscientia, Insilico Medicine, XtalPi, BenevolentAI, Recursion Pharmaceuticals and Schrödinger. Cell Signaling Technology is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does SOCIUM have an API?
No public API is recorded for SOCIUM.
What industry is SOCIUM in?
SOCIUM's product category is Drug Discovery Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAJAO, AI/ML Platforms for Drug Discovery & Experiment Optimization, with a secondary code of HLAAAIAI, Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation). Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 3826.