All posts in News

Orbit Discovery Limited has entered into a multi target research agreement with Endevica Bio Inc. 

Endevica creates first-in-class therapeutics for cachexia caused by cancer and other chronic conditions. Its lead compound has proven to be safe and well-tolerated in phase 1 trials.

The collaboration aims to accelerate Endevica’s development of advanced G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR)-targeting therapeutics on receptor sets both novel and complementary to its lead compound.

Endevica’s technology platform allows for the modification of peptides to modulate activity of GPCRs behind the blood-brain barrier. The focus of the agreement is to identify peptide hits from selected library populations, derived from Endevica’s internal in silico and modeling tools, which will be applied directly to Orbit’s proprietary functional screening platform where agonism of proteins can be identified.

The platform allows for millions of independent peptide sequences to be screened using a combination of bead-based DNA encoded libraries and microfluidic droplet screening. The peptide display engine is able to address soluble targets and targets in situ, both on and in cells, allowing for faster discovery times of relevant peptide leads based on affinity screens and/or functional screens.

The agreement covers activities ranging from hit ID to development of cell-based assays, with an option for Endevica to further develop the peptide hits resulting from the screening activities.

Read the full account at Labiotech.eu

Lung cancer claims more lives each year than any other type of cancer worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 1.8 million people died of lung cancer in 2020. Current treatments rely on one of two avenues: generalized chemotherapy that inflicts harsh side effects on cancer patients, or targeting of tumors with very specific mutations that may not apply to many patients—both of which make fighting the disease challenging.

Researchers at SRI International have designed and optimized a new peptide—a molecule that contains two or more amino acids—to act as a delivery vehicle for drugs to treat non-small cell lung cancer, which accounts for the majority of lung cancer cases. This peptide, highlighted in a recent study published in Nature Communications Biology, can carry large anti-cancer drugs and successfully target cancerous cells, binding to them and triggering a process to draw the peptide and its cargo inside.

Read the full article on Medicalxpress.com

NIH MIRA grant funds biochemist Scott Lokey’s efforts to develop complex, membrane-permeable molecules as next-generation therapeutic agents

Eli Lilly and Merck & Co. have identified PeptiDream’s peptides as a way to deliver therapeutic payloads to targets, leading them both to lay down more than $1 billion in milestones to work with the biotech.

PeptiDream is a Japanese biotech that has landed a string of deals with drug developers such as Alnylam and Takeda on the strength of its peptide discovery platform system. The system enables PeptiDream to identify peptides that can serve as the targeting mechanism for therapies. Once conjugated, the peptides take payloads to their targets to potentially deliver a potent hit without intolerable toxicity.

Merck recognized the potential of the approach in 2015. Back then, the drugmaker formed a multitarget discovery and optimization alliance with PeptiDream. Now, Merck has built on its earlier deal, paying an upfront fee of undisclosed size and committing to $2.1 billion in milestones to work with the biotech.

The new deal tasks PeptiDream with providing peptide candidates against targets of interest to Merck. In return for its outlay, Merck has secured exclusive rights to the peptide candidates for conjugation to cytotoxic payloads. Merck will be responsible for development of any peptide-drug conjugate products arising from the collaboration.

Read full article at FiercePharma.com