[ByteDance will split AI pharmaceutical independent financing, holding new companies to test AI4S industrialization] According to the monitoring of Activision Beating, the AI pharmaceutical business line under ByteDance has started the process of splitting and independent financing. After the split, ByteDance will continue to hold the new company, and integrate AI pharmaceutical core team, core algorithm, technology platform and existing early drug pipeline assets into the new entity as a whole. The new company is led by the ByteAI pharmaceutical team established in 2021 and will continue to receive computing power support from the Volcano Engine. The 50 person team led by the person in charge Liu Kai consists of AI4S algorithm talents and senior pharmaceutical experts, and has incorporated the internal protein structure prediction model team. The merged team previously released molecular structure prediction models such as Protenix and Seedfold, and launched the binder design tool PXDesign. For the development of real drugs, the team has also created the AI pharmaceutical platform Anew Labs, and disclosed the IL-17 small molecule project at the annual meeting of the American Immunological Society in April 2026. For the first time globally, the team has achieved the use of small molecules to block three dimers of the IL-17 family (AA/AF/FF), marking the advancement of related research from algorithmic models to target and pipeline validation. ByteDance chooses to start splitting, aiming to better attract top talents through independent organizational structure and adapt to the unique R&D laws of biotechnology. Compared with traditional Internet business, AI4S R&D includes long cycle and difficult complex links such as model development, wet experiment and clinical verification. After the new company becomes independent, it will have more flexible decision-making space. [Original link]