Lunit surges in the 13% range on collaboration with U.S. Summit to develop next-generation cancer drug [Stock NOW]

[Financial News] Shares of medical AI company Lunit surged early in the session on news that it would collaborate with U.S. biotech Summit Therapeutics on research to develop a next-generation immuno-oncology drug.
The move is seen as having buoyed investor sentiment, as Lunit’s AI biomarker technology will be used in a cancer drug development program drawing attention from the global pharmaceutical industry.
According to the Korea Exchange, at around 9:07 a.m. on the 26th, Lunit was trading at 12,830 won, up 13.54% from the previous trading day. It rose as high as 13,000 won at one point during the session, with gains exceeding 15%.
Lunit announced that day an AI biomarker research collaboration with Summit to develop the immuno-oncology drug candidate ivonescimab.
The key is to apply Lunit’s AI pathology analysis platform, Lunit SCOPE IO, to Summit’s research and development of ivonescimab to analyze the tumor microenvironment and identify biomarkers associated with treatment response.
In this collaboration, Lunit will use AI to analyze tissue slide images and quantify the distribution of cancer and immune cells, stromal architecture, and spatial interactions between cells. Based on this analysis, it plans to distinguish patient groups expected to benefit from treatment and support research to deepen biological understanding of responses to ivonescimab. Another feature is that existing H&E tissue slides can be used without additional staining or separate tests, making the approach suitable for large-scale analysis.
Summit’s standing as Lunit’s collaboration partner is also noteworthy. Last September, AstraZeneca announced a strategic equity investment of $2 billion in Summit and disclosed plans to develop a combination of ivonescimab and its own antibody-drug conjugate (ADC).
Lunit’s participation as an AI technology partner in a cancer drug program attracting continued investment and development collaborations from global pharmaceutical companies is seen as a potential example of how AI pathology technology could be used in new drug development.
Ivonescimab is a bispecific antibody drug candidate that simultaneously targets the immune checkpoint protein PD-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).
According to Lunit, ivonescimab has produced positive data in five Phase 3 trials for which results have been announced to date. At the World Conference on Lung Cancer last September, results were presented showing a statistically significant improvement in overall survival among patients with PD-L1-positive non-small cell lung cancer compared with the existing standard immuno-oncology drug Keytruda.
Brokerages are also watching Lunit’s potential to expand its business in connection with the collaboration. In a report released that day, Han Seung-yeon, a researcher at NH Investment & Securities, said Lunit’s business profile needs to expand from its existing AI imaging diagnosis into an AI drug development value chain that includes AI pathology diagnosis and biomarkers.
NH Investment & Securities estimates the business value of Lunit SCOPE at at least 500 billion won and forecasts that related revenue will grow to between 35 billion and 50 billion won next year.
However, this collaboration is still at the research stage, focused on identifying AI biomarkers, so whether future results lead to actual clinical development and commercial revenue will be important. Analysts say expectations for a revaluation of Lunit’s corporate value could also grow if an expansion of the collaboration, growth in SCOPE revenue, and financial improvement through cost controls are confirmed.

[email protected] Kang Jung-mo Reporter