Bertis introduces SURF platform at MSD Summit

Selected as a finalist by the judging panel at MSD Health Innovation Summit

Introduces AI-powered target discovery platform combining surface protein and artificial intelligence

Bertis has demonstrated the global partnering potential of its AI-powered drug target discovery platform, SURF, by being selected as a finalist at the MSD Health Innovation Summit.

Bertis, a proteomics technology platform company co-led by CEOs Dong-young Noh and Seung-man Han, announced on Aug. 4 that it had been selected as one of the judges' award recipients at the MSD Health Innovation Summit, jointly hosted by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) and MSD Korea.

At the event, the company unveiled its AI-based drug target discovery and validation platform SURF for the first time. Among eight companies selected through a preliminary review to deliver presentations, Vertis was named one of three companies selected by the judging panel.

According to the company, Vertis was the only drug target discovery platform that was selected for the award. The company was recognized for presenting a platform that leverages its proteomics expertise, built through its cancer diagnostic solutions and protein analysis services, to improve the efficiency and success rate of drug development.

The summit, held on July 14 under the theme “Next-generation healthcare powered by evidence-based AI: From prevention to personalized care," brought together experts from KHIDI, MSD Korea, the MSD Global Health Innovation Fund, MSD Asia-Pacific's innovation team IDEA Studio, and the global healthcare innovation platform HITLAB as members of the judging panel.

SURF is a platform designed to generate and analyze data on cell surface and surface-adjacent proteins to identify novel therapeutic targets. It is structured to materialize these into new drug target packages capable of collaborative research or technology transfer through AI analysis and experimental validation.

Rather than focusing solely on previously identified targets, the platform is designed to discover novel therapeutic targets. By mapping cell surface and neighboring proteins, SURF comprehensively evaluates target surface accessibility, disease relevance, expression in normal tissues, and suitability for specific therapeutic modalities of candidate targets for prioritization.

The company said the platform provides target discovery and validation solutions that can support next-generation therapeutic modalities, including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and bispecific antibodies. Bertis emphasized that SURF is a hybrid platform that complements purely in silico prediction approaches by integrating experimental data generation, AI-based analysis and biological validation.

Target discovery focused on the cell surface proteome has become an area of growing interest for global pharmaceutical companies. In January this year, Disco Pharmaceuticals signed a licensing agreement with Amgen covering novel surface protein targets, while InduPro entered into a collaboration with Eli Lilly to develop multispecific antibody cancer therapies.

Bertis plans to combine its proprietary AI analytics engine, proteomics data-generation capabilities and clinical sample-based validation expertise to expand from target discovery to comprehensive target packages suitable for collaborative research and technology licensing.

Seung-man Han, co-CEO of Bertis, said, "It is particularly meaningful that the innovation of our proteomics-based drug target discovery platform has been recognized by global pharmaceutical companies and investment and research experts.”

He added, " Having confirmed the strong industry interest in surface protein target discovery, we will continue to expand collaborative research and licensing partnerships with global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies through the SURF platform."