WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--X-Chem, Inc. (X-Chem), a privately held biotechnology company applying its innovative drug discovery platform to the generation of novel small molecule therapeutics, today announced a collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ: VRTX). Under the terms of the agreement, X-Chem will apply its proprietary DEXTM libraries, which contain more than 120 billion small molecules, toward the discovery of new drug leads against targets involved in multiple specialty diseases. Vertex will have the option to license lead-like hits discovered under the collaboration, and will be responsible for further development and commercialization of the resulting programs.
“We look forward to working closely with Vertex, a recognized innovator in discovery of first-in-class treatments for severe, life-threatening diseases,” said Rick Wagner, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of X-Chem. “The combination of X-Chem’s DEXTM platform and Vertex’s expertise has great potential to generate promising leads that could lead to medicines for the treatment of serious, specialty diseases with high unmet needs.”
“As Vertex continues to grow and diversify its R&D pipeline, we look to complement our productive internal efforts with other organizations who share our passion to treat diseases for which there is no existing treatment,” said Mark Bunnage, Senior Vice President and Boston Research Site Head at Vertex. “With a cutting-edge small molecule lead discovery platform, X-Chem is ideally suited to help Vertex tackle challenging rare-disease targets.”
Under the terms of the agreement, X-Chem will receive an upfront payment and potential research, development and regulatory milestones and licensing fees. X-Chem is also eligible for royalties on revenues from medicines originating from the collaboration. The agreement includes the option for an expansion to include additional targets.
About the DNA-Encoded X-Chem (DEX™) Library and Platform
Due
to the size and diversity of the DEXTM library, X-Chem can
discover multiple series of novel, potent and selective lead compounds
at an unprecedented rate of success against a wide range of targets,
including some that previously failed using conventional screening
methods. A number of proprietary innovations in library design,
screening methodology and bioinformatics underlie the exceptional
performance of the DEXTM platform. In particular, X-Chem’s
approach to library construction allows for additional chemical
reactions to become useable in DNA-encoded library synthesis. Together,
these developments result in a much greater repertoire of diversity for
small molecules, which cover a range of categories including fragment
molecules, small molecular weight heterocyclic compounds, and
macrocyclic structures. This diverse library, combined with a heightened
ability to detect active molecules, has yielded a robust process that
has been highly successful against targets categorized as difficult or
intractable.
About DNA-Encoding
The X-Chem drug discovery engine is based
on a library, currently in excess of 120 billion compounds and growing,
generated by iterative combinatorial synthesis of small molecules
tethered to DNA tags that record the synthetic history of the small
molecule. Every small molecule in the library has a unique DNA barcode
attached it. The library is screened as a mixture using affinity-based
binding to a target of interest. Certain rare molecules in the library
that bind to the target can be “fished out,” while the rest of the
molecules are washed away. DNA sequencing methods are then used to
detect molecules that are enriched when bound to the target. The diverse
nature of the library produces multiple families or clusters of related
molecules that bind to the target, forming a basis for emergent
structure-activity relationships. Structure-activity relationships are
typically used by medicinal chemists to guide iterative chemical
maturation of a molecule into a drug. Based on the synthetic history
encoded in the DNA sequence information, molecules are then made without
the DNA tag attached, and tested for activity in conventional assays.
About X-Chem
X-Chem, Inc. is a privately-owned biotechnology
company based in Waltham, Mass. The company’s mission is to apply its
powerful product engine to the discovery of small molecule compounds
against high-value therapeutic targets. X-Chem has established
partnerships with Roche, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Pfizer, Alexion, MD
Anderson Cancer Center, Sanofi, Janssen, and several other leading
pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology organizations, and academic
centers. For further information on X-Chem, please visit: http://www.x-chemrx.com/.
