On April 22, 2021 Vyant Bio, Inc. ("Vyant" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: VYNT), an emerging leader in novel drug discovery techniques, reported a collaboration that will seek to de-risk the development of small protein therapeutics (Press release, Cellaria, APR 22, 2021, View Source [SID1234578443]). In partnership with Ordaōs Bio ("Ordaōs") and Cellaria, Inc. ("Cellaria"), the Company is unveiling a model for rapid iteration of therapeutic design using artificial intelligence and in vitro ‘avatar clinical trials’ that will enable the design, development, and testing of potential therapeutics on specific patient populations, during preclinical development. The goal is to provide an early detection system of a drug’s efficacy in different patient cohorts, prior to clinical trials.
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The collaboration capitalizes on the unique capabilities of each company to design, manufacture, and test small-protein therapeutics that target multiple biomarkers derived from whole genome sequencing of patient populations. Using proprietary AI, Ordaōs will generate in silico protein sequences, designed to bind specific disease targets, and will serve as a blueprint for the collaborative team’s experts in in vitro and in vivo preclinical drug discovery, to produce the protein and rapidly iterate the structure using a highly efficient expression system. Using Cellaria’s Patient Specific Cell Model Cohorts, the purified protein will be critically evaluated for target binding and further optimized to improve performance across an array of disease-specific genetic biomarker expressing cells. Once fully optimized by the team, Vyant Bio’s objective will be to deliver regulatory readiness and a maximally de-risked drug candidate. The combined solution will provide data and human-based insights not usually available until after a costly clinical trial.
"Vyant Bio is committed to transforming the way that drugs are discovered by quickly adapting to exciting new technologies and combining capabilities in ways that leverage their strengths," stated Jay Roberts, CEO of Vyant Bio. "Our collaboration with Ordaōs and Cellaria allows us all to work together to design and develop superior therapeutics and position them to be as successful as possible before they get into the clinic."
Cellaria Inc. uses cell biology in novel ways to provide insights into how a therapeutic may perform in specific patient populations, prior to clinical trials. In this collaboration, Cellaria provides the means for scientists to test how a drug will perform in a range of patient cohorts. The Cellaria in vitro and 3-D Models of tumor and metastatic niches are directly linked to a patient’s disease state and enable multiple parametric deep data sets in genomics, proteomics, and combinatorial analysis.
"Working with the Ordaōs and Vyant Bio teams has been incredibly important for us. Seeing the wealth of patient data and cells used so seamlessly to inform and guide the design of a therapeutic is highly rewarding," stated David Deems, President and Founder of Cellaria Inc. "We are developing a repeatable process that leverages well defined patient cohorts to learn as much as possible prior to embarking on a clinical trial."
Ordaōs uses generative AI technology to accelerate the mini protein drug discovery and development process. In this collaboration, Ordaōs provides a pipeline of digitally optimized therapeutics for further development. The company was founded by David Longo, a Stanford and Harvard-trained AI and biotech scientist, and Ulo Palm, MD, PhD, a 30-year veteran of clinical drug discovery and development at Allergan, Novartis, and Schering Plough.
"We are very excited about working with Vyant Bio and Cellaria to further our vision for transforming the way we bring therapeutics to patients. At Ordaōs, we believe that designing, rather than discovering, drugs is now possible with AI and will allow us to think bigger when we envision the impact we can have on people’s lives." said David Longo, CEO of Ordaōs.
Ülo Palm, Ordaōs’ Chief Medical Officer, added that "the ultimate goal is to use modern AI to design the next generation of highly effective and safe biologics for treating cancer and inflammatory diseases thereby creating transformative treatment options for potentially millions of patients worldwide. We expect that this new approach will significantly accelerate drug R&D overall and get the new drugs to patients much faster than with the traditional drug development approach. Patients who suffer from chronic and life-threatening diseases cannot wait. That is why this new collaboration is so important."
The three companies will continue to refine their strategies for drug design and development through a series of projects targeting cancer, pancreatic, and autoimmune disorders. As the project evolves, the therapeutic de-risking strategy will further incorporate the human-based biology and analytical software of StemoniX, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vyant Bio.