Two days after Monte Rosa Therapeutics Inc. signed a molecular glue degrader deal with Novartis AG, two other companies, Biogen Inc. and Neomorph Inc., are moving forward in the same space in a partnership worth up to $1.45 billion. Cambridge, Mass.-based Biogen and San Diego-based Neomorph will develop molecular glue degraders (MGDs) for priority targets in Alzheimer’s, rare neurological and immunological diseases, using Neomorph’s MGD platform to identify and validate novel small-molecule protein degraders.
Backed by AI technology, Aigen Sciences Inc. raised ₩12 billion (US$8.8 million) in a series A financing round to further advance its cancer and rare disease drug pipelines. Aigen said Oct. 16 that the series A round was joined by existing investors Partners Investment, Quad Investment Management and Medytox Venture Investment, as well new investors Premier Partners, K2 Investment Partners and Scale Up Partners.
Researchers from Purdue University and Eradivir Inc. presented a newly developed bispecific small molecule (zanDR) that bound and inhibited influenza neuraminidase on both free virus and virus-infected cells and also recruited the immune system. zanDR recruited naturally occurring anti-rhamnose and anti-dinitrophenyl (DNP) antibodies with rhamnose and DNP haptens.
Bayer AG has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Dewpoint Therapeutics Inc. for a heart disease program to treat dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients characterized by specific mutations.
Modifi Biosciences Inc. has come a long way very quickly. Spun out of Yale University in 2021, it published data on DNA in Science in July 2022, and now it’s being acquired by Merck & Co. Inc. for $30 million up front. Ultimately, Modifi shareholders could receive milestones of up to $1.3 billion.
Atavistik Bio Inc. has nominated an orally bioavailable selective allosteric AKT1 E17K inhibitor, ATV-1601, as a development candidate for AKT1 E17K-driven cancers.
Bayer AG and Moma Therapeutics Inc. have entered into a collaboration, under an option and exclusive license agreement, to develop and commercialize a small-molecule oncology program.
CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Astrazeneca plc for the global development, manufacture and commercialization of CSPC’s lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) inhibitor, YS-2302018, and any pharmaceutical or biological product subsequently developed that includes the compound.
Ribometrix Inc. recently discussed the discovery and preclinical evaluation of a novel potent and selective eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eiF4E) inhibitor, RBX-6610, being developed for the treatment of KRAS-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
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