1stOncology™: Cancer Intelligence Service – Page 10507 – 1stOncology is recognized as a Top 10 Global Pharma Analytic Provider

BioInvent receives $3 million payment related to selection of antibodies under collaboration with Pfizer Inc.

On December 23, 2020 BioInvent International AB (OMXS: BINV ), a biotech company focused on the discovery and development of novel and first-in-class immune-modulatory antibodies for cancer immunotherapy, reported that Pfizer Inc. ("Pfizer") (NYSE: PFE) has selected antibodies directed at a previously-selected target under the companies’ cancer immunotherapy research collaboration and license agreement (Press release, BioInvent, DEC 23, 2020, View Source [SID1234573216]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The agreement, into which the companies entered in December 2016, covers developing antibodies from BioInvent’s proprietary F.I.R.S.TTM drug discovery platform targeting tumor-associated myeloid cells.

The selection of these antibodies triggers a payment from Pfizer to BioInvent of $3,000,000. BioInvent is eligible for further milestone payments from development of these antibodies and potential selection and development of further antibodies directed at the same target.

BioInvent’s CEO Martin Welschof said: "Pfizer’s selection of antibodies under our agreement is a great demonstration of the actionable leads generated by our drug discovery technology platform. We are very pleased with how our partnership is progressing and look forward to further strengthening our collaboration. Our F.I.R.S.TTM platform is a patient-centric approach, drawing on our high-quality n-CoDeR antibody library to produce promising drug candidates, and we believe this partnership is an important validation of this technology."

Polymed Biopharma making progress in new drug discovery on PROTAC platform

On December 22, 2020 Polymed Biopharma reported that it recently submitted two patent applications for the discovery of novel PROTAC molecules for treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases (Press release, Polymed Biopharmaceuticals, DEC 22, 2020, View Source [SID1234630612]). These molecules have demonstrated activities in the degradation of target proteins and proliferation inhibition of disease model cell line. Polymed plans to further study the safety and effectiveness of these molecules in related animal disease models.

Neomorph, Inc. Announces $109 Million Series A Financing to Advance Proprietary Protein Degradation Platform and Programs

On December 22, 2020 Neomorph reported a $109 million Series A financing to advance a proprietary targeted protein degradation platform and specific programs (Press release, Neomorph, DEC 22, 2020, View Source [SID1234627533]). Deerfield Management Company established Neomorph earlier this year with scientific founders Phil Chamberlain, DPhil; Eric Fischer, PhD; Benjamin Ebert, MD, PhD; and Scott Armstrong, MD, PhD.

The founding management team comprises pharmaceutical veterans with deep industry knowledge in targeted protein degradation drug discovery. Led by Dr. Chamberlain as President and Chief Scientific Officer, Neomorph has recruited top industry talent who have made major contributions to the field, including: Rohan Beckwith, PhD; Gang Lu, PhD; Mary Matyskiela, PhD; Ben Wen, PhD; and Samer Chmait.

Targeted protein degradation offers opportunities to develop novel therapeutics across a broad range of disease areas, including oncology. Strategies for protein degradation have been shown to solve critical problems in drug discovery by enabling researchers to target previously "undruggable" proteins that lack suitable binding pockets required for conventional drug activity.

Of particular note, Neomorph’s founders are responsible for several fundamental scientific developments in the "molecular glue" field. Molecular glues are types of molecules that encourage proteins to come together that normally would not interact. Neomorph plans to build on the collective pivotal research findings of the team to advance the technology of targeted protein degradation and solve critical problems in human health.

"Having the ability to achieve this milestone during these unprecedented times is a testament to Neomorph’s capabilities in the protein degradation and molecular glue space," said Dr. Fischer, who is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School and an Independent Investigator at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "I am humbled to be a part of a team poised to make real strides in advancing the science. We believe we are in an excellent position to take our technology to the next level with the ultimate goal of delivering transformative treatments to patients in need."

"The Neomorph team has deep expertise in pharmacological approaches to targeted protein degradation and we are excited to be developing new therapeutics for patients with diseases that are currently difficult to treat," said Dr. Armstrong, who is also David G. Nathan, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Utilizing Deerfield seed funding and operational support since the first quarter of 2020, Neomorph has established a research site in San Diego at the Genesis Science Center in Sorrento Mesa, California. This Series A financing will position Neomorph to further develop its platform, advance lead programs, and expand the research team.

"As a drug strategy, protein degradation has enormous potential as it leverages the cell’s natural system for clearing unwanted or damaged proteins," said Deerfield Partner Cameron Wheeler, PhD. "We believe there continues to be a significant opportunity in protein degradation, in particular as it relates to the glue space. Neomorph is in an exceptional position and couldn’t have a more seasoned and knowledgeable team in place to interrogate and advance drug targets. The Company’s success could potentially lead to life-altering therapies."

Neomorph will benefit from a close collaboration with the Center for Protein Degradation at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. With its investment, this expands Deerfield’s commitment in the space given the firm’s longstanding partnership and collaboration with Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Skyhawk and Vertex Establish a Strategic Collaboration to Discover and Develop Novel Small Molecules that Modulate RNA Splicing for Serious Diseases

On December 22, 2020 Skyhawk Therapeutics, Inc. and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) reported a strategic research collaboration and licensing agreement aimed at the discovery and development of novel small molecules that modulate RNA splicing for the treatment of serious diseases (Press release, Skyhawk Therapeutics, DEC 22, 2020, View Source [SID1234626571]).

"We believe that splice site modulation holds significant promise for the treatment of diseases which today have limited or no therapeutic options," said Mark Bunnage, D.Phil., Senior Vice President and Site Head, Boston Research at Vertex. "This collaboration brings Skyhawk’s innovative technology together with Vertex’s research and development experience; and fits perfectly with our strategy of investing in new technologies that will help us transform multiple serious diseases."

"We are excited to enter this collaboration with Vertex, a global leader in creating transformative medicines through serial innovation," said Bill Haney, Chief Executive Officer of Skyhawk. "In collaboration with the Vertex team, we look forward to using our SkySTAR platform to discover and develop novel small molecule therapeutics that modulate RNA splicing which have the potential to transform the lives of patients with serious diseases."

Under the collaboration agreement, Vertex will pay Skyhawk $40 million upfront. Skyhawk will grant Vertex options to exclusively license worldwide intellectual property rights to candidates discovered and developed under the collaboration that are directed to program targets. Following Vertex’s exercise of its options, Vertex will be responsible for further development and commercialization. Skyhawk is also eligible to receive up to $2.2 billion in potential milestone payments, as well as potential royalties on future sales.

Sosei Heptares and Captor Therapeutics Enter Strategic Technology Collaboration Focused on Targeted GPCR Degradation as Novel Approach for Drug Design

On December 22, 2020 Sosei Group Corporation, a world leader in GPCR-focused structure-based drug design and development, and Captor Therapeutics, a European leader in targeted protein degradation, have entered a strategic technology collaboration focused on the discovery and development of novel small molecules that target the degradation of disease-associated G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) (Press release, Captor Therapeutics, DEC 22, 2020, View Source [SID1234623171]).

Targeted protein degradation (TPD) is an approach whereby the body’s natural process for degrading proteins is diverted using small molecule drugs to eliminate disease-causing proteins. The selective destruction of such proteins is expected to have multiple advantages over classical drugs such as inhibitors and antibodies for the development of novel therapeutics against a broad range of diseases.

Sosei Heptares and Captor initially will focus on identifying small molecules targeting a GPCR with a key role in a strongly validated signalling pathway implicated in gastrointestinal disorders. A further aim of the collaboration is to generate high resolution structural information around the GPCR-E3 ligase complex to enhance drug discovery efforts as well as provide proof of concept for targeted degradation discovery approaches with other GPCRs and other target classes.

The collaboration combines Sosei Heptares’ structure-based drug design (SBDD) platform, including its structural insights around the target, and its deep understanding of GPCR pharmacology, together with Captor’s proprietary TPD Optigrade, platform and extensive know-how and expertise in protein degradation.

Since 2017, Captor has raised approximately €40 million from private investors and non-dilutive funding sources, allowing it to create an advanced TPD platform and establish five pipeline programs in cancer and autoimmune diseases.

Captor’s Optigrade platform is focused on improving the selectivity and performance of first-generation degrader drugs. The principle of TPD is to use small molecules to commit the target protein into the E3 ligase-mediated degradation pathway thereby eliminating or reducing its activity. Molecular glues and bifunctional degraders are two different approaches to promote the direct binding of a specific E3 ligase to the target protein, and in each case, Captor has developed molecules with improved selectivity. These approaches can also be coupled with Captor’s novel E3 Ligase ligands (Lilis) which take advantage of Captor’s extensive library of E3 Ligase enzymes to create a new generation of degrader drugs.

Promising leads will be progressed using the partners’ complementary discovery skills, resources and development capabilities for subsequent development and commercialization.

Under the agreement, the companies will jointly conduct the discovery and development program and will co-own any resulting products, with Sosei Heptares supporting initial R&D costs. No further financial details are disclosed.

Miles Congreve, Chief Scientific Officer of Sosei Heptares, commented: "Targeted protein degradation is a promising approach to drug discovery that is gaining strong interest in the pharmaceutical industry. However, there has so far been limited progress in applying this exciting approach to membrane-associated proteins such as GPCRs. We can see a real opportunity to expand the reach of our SBDD and GPCR pharmacology expertise into this area; GPCRs themselves play key roles in disease yet are often difficult to drug. We are delighted to enter this collaboration with Captor, which has developed multiple novel approaches to identify small molecules that promote TPD. We are excited to explore the potential of this unique combination of technologies to develop a novel GPCR degraders platform, opening up so far intractable drug targets for us to address."

Michal J. Walczak, Chief Scientific Officer of Captor Therapeutics, added: "This is an important partnership for both Captor and Sosei Heptares. We believe that the successful application of targeted protein degradation to G Protein-Coupled Receptors will open new avenues in medicine and will maximize treatment opportunities for patients. Working with Sosei Heptares, a global leader in targeting GPCRs, is an exciting opportunity to create truly novel medicines and unlock TPD for GPCR targets, which will constitute another cornerstone validating the potential of TPD as an emerging drug discovery technology."