BioWorld International Correspondent

PARIS - Mutabilis and Oroxcell, both of which are based in the Biocitech biotechnology park in the Paris suburb of Romainville, entered a second research collaboration aimed at adding value to a new anti-Staphylococcus preclinical drug candidate discovered by Mutabilis for the treatment of a major infectious disease.

This new agreement provides for Oroxcell to fully profile the Mutabilis compound in terms of in vitro and in vivo ADME and physicochemical parameters. It also will establish the formulation strategy using its Formulation Search Engine technology to speed up subsequent preclinical development. The companies' earlier two-year collaboration entailed the selection of lead compounds for optimization as an anti-infective drug.

Mutabilis is specialized in the discovery of antibacterial drugs, and is developing a new class of anti-infectives, with new mechanisms of action. The drugs selectively target pathogenic bacteria, for which there is a need for new therapeutics due to their resistance to existing antibiotics and other drugs.

The company has identified specific antigens for the development of new vaccines or monoclonal antibodies against pathogenic strains involved in hospital-acquired and neonatal infections.

It currently is engaged in three research programs focused on small-molecule inhibitors of new antibacterial targets. Since it was established in 2001, Mutabilis has raised more than €10 million (US$13 million) from French venture capital funds.

Oroxcell is a contract research organization focused on the bioavailability of life science compounds. It was founded in 2004 and has expertise in both innovative formulations to improve oral absorption, and new in vitro technologies for evaluating ADME parameters, physicochemistry, bioanalysis and molecular pharmaceutics. Among other things, Oroxcell holds an exclusive license for a lipid-based formulation system aimed at improving oral absorption of a broad spectrum of compounds. The company also is developing its own drug candidates for the treatment of pain.

Pointing out that "Oroxcell's technologies have worked for us in the past," the CEO of Mutabilis, Sonia Escaich, said the company had decided to go back to Oroxcell "to help us move our next program forward. The collaboration gives us the opportunity to use Oroxcell's one-stop-shopping platform to obtain fast and high-quality data, which bring real added value to our projects. The rapid selection of compounds with optimized ADME and physicochemical properties is critical to the development of our proprietary drug candidate," she said.