AI-Designed Molecule Nominated for 'Nobel Prize of Medicine': Chinese Biotech Unveils First-in-Class Gastric Cancer Drug

China News Service, Beijing, August 21st, by reporters Zhao Bin and Li Bo — Recently, the nomination list for the 2025 Prix Galien USA, one of the highest honors in the international biopharmaceutical industry, was announced. Signet Therapeutics, an incubated company of Shenzhen XtalPi, has become the only Chinese biopharmaceutical enterprise to be shortlisted for the "Best Biotechnology Product Award" with SIGX1094R, the world's first targeted drug for diffuse gastric cancer.

This is also the first AI (Artificial Intelligence)-created molecule to be nominated for the Allen Award, marking the debut of AI and organoid-based drug discovery technologies on the historical stage, driving the evolution of new drug development paradigms.

Data released by the National Cancer Center in 2024 shows that the annual number of new gastric cancer cases in China exceeds 350,000, ranking fifth among all malignant tumors; the number of deaths exceeds 260,000, ranking third among malignant tumors.

Traditional single-target inhibitors have limited efficacy due to compensatory mechanisms. SIGNET has established the first diffuse gastric cancer organoid disease model and, in collaboration with XtalPi, has taken the lead in developing the world's first targeted drug for diffuse gastric cancer. This drug is not only the first to be developed based on an organoid and AI technology platform but also the world’s first FAK/SRC dual-target inhibitor to enter the clinical stage. XtalPi utilized its self-developed Xpose algorithm and XFEP free energy perturbation technology to complete the preclinical candidate compound (PCC) development in just six months, reducing the traditional R&D cycle by more than 60%.

Currently, SIGX1094R has received Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) and Fast Track Designation (FTD) from the U.S. FDA, and is undergoing Phase I clinical trials at the Peking University Cancer Hospital.

The Galien Award, established in 1970, is known as the "Nobel Prize of the pharmaceutical industry" and is regarded as the highest honor in the pharmaceutical field. The 2025 award's judging committee consists of 11 members, including three Nobel laureates.

Wen Shuhao, Chairman of XtalPi, stated that SIGX1094R is XtalPi's earliest "de novo discovery" project for new drugs. As an original innovation platform, XtalPi not only deeply collaborates with top global pharmaceutical companies but also leverages its powerful AI+RobotAn integrated platform serves as the underlying support, actively empowering and accelerating the translation of cutting-edge scientific advancements into pipeline assets and clinical applications.

As a pioneer in the AI pharmaceuticals field, in 2023, XtalPi signed a $250 million AI + robotics drug discovery collaboration with Eli Lilly, setting a record for the highest single-pipeline AI pharmaceutical collaboration in China at that time. In August 2025, XtalPi signed an AI drug research and development collaboration with innovative biopharmaceutical company DoveTree, with a total order size of approximately HKD 47 billion ($5.99 billion), once again breaking the record for the largest AI drug R&D order scale.