TLDR: Nanyang Biologics has announced a strategic collaboration with technology giants NVIDIA, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), and Equinix to develop “VECURA,” an advanced AI-powered drug discovery platform. This initiative aims to drastically cut the drug discovery timeline from years to mere hours, leveraging artificial intelligence, machine learning, and a vast natural compound library to accelerate the development of next-generation health solutions across pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and personal care.
Singapore-based Nanyang Biologics (NYB) has entered into a landmark strategic collaboration with global technology leaders NVIDIA, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), and Equinix to create “VECURA,” an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered drug discovery platform. This ambitious project is set to transform the traditional drug discovery process, aiming to reduce the timeline from a conventional 10-12 years to just a few hours, and potentially identifying drug candidates in as little as six minutes by 2026.
The partnership was formalized with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the inaugural AI4Life Summit 2025 at The Fullerton Hotel in Singapore. The VECURA platform is designed as an “AI-as-a-Service” model, combining advanced predictive models with a proprietary library containing millions of natural compounds, primarily sourced from tropical flora. This extensive library, coupled with cutting-edge metagenomics and metaproteomics analysis, will enable rapid identification of promising drug candidates, significantly reducing both discovery time and costs.
Dr. Roland Ong, Chairman of Nanyang Biologics, emphasized the collaborative spirit of the venture, stating, “By partnering with global technology leaders, we are creating a collaborative ecosystem that will accelerate drug discovery and unlock new therapeutic possibilities for patients worldwide.” The platform is expected to become the world’s largest AI-curated compound library, anchored in Singapore, solidifying the nation’s position as a leading hub for AI-enabled drug discovery.
Ravindran Govindan, Executive Chairman and MD of Fischer Medical Ventures (FMV), Nanyang Biologics’ associate company, highlighted the platform’s potential: “With the strong support of world-class companies like NVIDIA, HPE and Equinix, NYB’s supercharged VECURA platform will unleash powerful therapeutic potential of nature with AI and discover millions of valuable natural compounds in shorter time to enable any Biotech companies to use to develop their health and wellness products faster.”
VECURA builds upon NYB’s earlier DTIGN technology, which successfully identified 15 potential drug candidates within six months for a Japanese pharmaceutical firm using graph neural networks and a library of compounds from over 50,000 organisms. The new platform will harness advanced technologies such as AI, machine learning, and virtual screening to uncover therapeutic potential hidden within diverse plants, opening new frontiers in personalized medicine and nature-based therapeutics.
Beyond drug discovery, Nanyang Biologics plans to leverage its AI-powered platform and biodiverse compound library to develop a pipeline of evidence-based nutraceuticals aimed at enhancing human resilience, restoring metabolic balance, and promoting long-term vitality. This includes formulations like CareViva NS, a longevity-focused product derived from traditional herbs, developed with the expertise of over 26 scientists and professors from Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.
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The global drug discovery platform market is projected for significant growth, from $186 million in 2024 to $635 million by 2034, representing a compound annual growth rate of over 13 percent. Nanyang Biologics plans to commercialize the VECURA platform for other pharmaceutical companies, retaining intellectual property ownership while sharing revenue with its technology collaborators. The company’s focus extends to therapeutic applications for cancer, metabolic disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases, alongside wellness applications.
