Novartis will apply Unnatural Products (UNP)\u2019s artificial intelligence (AI)-guided macrocyclic peptide platform to develop next-generation cardiovascular disease therapeutics, through a collaboration that could generate more than $1.8 billion for the Santa Cruz, CA-based biotech.<\/p>\n
UNP has signed a research collaboration and licensing agreement with Novartis launching the partnership, beginning with an undisclosed program. The collaboration is intended to enable access to previously undruggable targets by marrying UNP\u2019s platform with the pharma giant\u2019s global development and commercialization capabilities.<\/p>\n
UNP reasons that macrocyclic peptides offer an effective new class of therapeutics that combine the selectivity and potency of biologics with the flexibility and drug-like properties of small molecules. UNP says its platform is an integrated discovery engine that rapidly generates highly potent and selective oral and injectable macrocycles by joining AI-guided molecular design, \u201cmassively\u201d parallel synthesis, and direct-to-biology screening.<\/p>\n
UNP\u2019s process starts by screening candidate molecules against a protein target using technologies and established approaches for testing macrocyclics like phage display or messenger RNA (mRNA) display. The hits are then fed into the company\u2019s computational drug platform, where they are modified and optimized. There is no black box algorithm in the process, Pye told GEN last July<\/a>. \u00a0\u201cWhat the platform\u2019s about is being able to take smart shots on goal\u201d in order to \u201cfind a successful hypothesis to weave your way through that chemical landscape to a development candidate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdvances in macrocyclic chemistry are opening entirely new avenues in drug discovery, allowing us to engage targets at a dose and with a pharmacological versatility not possible with many other approaches,\u201d Muneto Mogi, Novartis\u2019 global head of discovery chemistry based at the company\u2019s Biomedical Research unit (formerly Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research), said in a statement. \u201cWe believe this collaboration positions both organizations to accelerate the development of new therapies with strong scientific and clinical potential. We look forward to working together to bring innovative medicines to patients.\u201d<\/p>\n