MedPath

Tagged News

Monte Rosa's AI-Powered Discovery Engine Expands Molecular Glue Degrader Target Space in Science Publication

AIDrug Discovery
  • Monte Rosa Therapeutics published groundbreaking research on the cover of Science magazine, demonstrating how their AI and machine learning technologies have dramatically expanded the targetable protein space for molecular glue degraders.
  • The company's proprietary QuEEN discovery engine identified over 100 classes of proteins previously considered undruggable, spanning diverse therapeutic areas including immunology, inflammation, and oncology.
  • The research reveals new rules governing cereblon-based protein degradation, enabling rational design of highly selective degrader therapies for historically intractable therapeutic targets.

RDP Pharma and Singapore's EDDC Partner to Develop Protein Degrader Therapies for Autoimmune Diseases

Drug DiscoveryTargeted Therapy
  • Swiss biotechnology company RDP Pharma AG has formed a strategic research collaboration with Singapore's Experimental Drug Development Centre (EDDC) to develop monovalent targeted protein degraders for autoimmune diseases.
  • The partnership combines RDP Pharma's proprietary PromptDegrader™ platform with EDDC's integrated drug discovery capabilities to create oral therapeutics targeting dysfunctional immune responses.
  • Global autoimmune disease incidence is rising with annual increases of 19.1% and 12.5% respectively, highlighting the urgent need for new therapeutic options with improved efficacy and fewer side effects.
  • The collaboration aims to address unmet medical needs for patients with chronic autoimmune conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Catalio Capital Closes $400M Fund IV to Back Healthcare and Biotech Companies Amid Market Downturn

Drug Discovery
  • Catalio Capital Management announced the closing of its more than $400 million Fund IV, continuing its focus on healthcare and biotechnology investments despite challenging market conditions.
  • The venture capital firm, founded in 2020, has already deployed Fund IV capital into 16 companies, including diagnostics company PinkDx and drug discovery company Superluminal Medicines.
  • The biotech venture market experienced a dramatic decline from $152.3 billion in 2023 to just $12 billion last year, reflecting broader challenges from higher interest rates and reduced IPO activity.

Healx Partners with SCI Ventures in $2M AI-Driven Initiative to Develop Spinal Cord Injury Treatments

AIDrug DiscoveryRare Disease
  • Healx has partnered with SCI Ventures in a $2 million collaboration to apply AI-powered drug discovery to spinal cord injury, which affects over 20 million people globally with limited treatment options.
  • The partnership combines Healx's machine learning expertise with SCI Ventures' neuroregeneration domain knowledge and unique dataset access to target chronic spinal cord injury treatments.
  • The collaboration aims to dramatically shorten the path from discovery to clinical application by prioritizing AI-driven target discovery and drug repurposing strategies.
  • Success in spinal cord injury could open doors to AI-powered therapies for other neurological conditions including traumatic brain injury, stroke, ALS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's disease.

Portal Biotech Secures $35M Series A to Commercialize World's First Full-Length Single-Molecule Protein Sequencer

Drug DiscoveryAI
  • Portal Biotech raised $35 million in Series A funding, representing one of Europe's largest investments into a life sciences tools company, co-led by NATO Innovation Fund and Earlybird Venture Capital.
  • The London-based company is developing the world's first technology for sequencing intact full-length proteins at the single-molecule level, addressing critical gaps in current protein analysis methods.
  • The nanopore-based platform promises to transform drug discovery and diagnostics by providing rapid, cost-effective protein characterization that could prevent billions in failed drug trials.
  • The technology aims to replace expensive mass spectrometry methods with accessible desktop instruments, making advanced protein analysis available to any laboratory worldwide.

Epigenica Secures $2.2M to Advance High-Throughput Epigenetic Screening Platform

Drug Discovery
  • Stockholm-based Epigenica AB closed a $2.2 million funding round led by Voima Ventures to accelerate commercialization of its EpiFinder epigenetic screening platform.
  • The company's proprietary technology enables simultaneous analysis of multiple epigenetic markers across large sample sets with exceptional resolution and efficiency for drug discovery applications.
  • Funding will support development of flagship products including EpiFinder Global and EpiFinder cNUC kits, service expansion, and entry into the U.S. market.
  • Epigenetics is emerging as a critical layer in multi-omics approaches, providing insights into how lifestyle and environmental factors influence gene activity and disease outcomes.

ProFound Therapeutics Partners with Novartis in $775M Cardiovascular Drug Discovery Deal

Drug Discovery
  • ProFound Therapeutics announced a four-year strategic collaboration with Novartis to discover novel cardiovascular therapeutics using its ProFoundry Platform to mine the expanded human proteome.
  • The partnership includes $25 million in upfront and near-term milestone payments, with potential downstream milestones worth $750 million per selected target plus tiered royalties.
  • The collaboration combines ProFound's capabilities in identifying novel proteins from the expanded proteome with Novartis' cardiovascular drug development expertise to address unmet medical needs.
  • The ProFoundry Platform uses advanced computational tools and biological data to uncover previously unknown proteins as potential drug targets from the expanded human proteome.

Evotec Joins NURTuRE-AKI Consortium to Advance Multi-Omics Research for Acute Kidney Injury Treatment

Precision MedicineDrug Discovery
  • Evotec has joined the NURTuRE-AKI consortium led by Kidney Research UK to establish the world's most comprehensive patient cohort for acute kidney injury research.
  • The longitudinal study will collect multi-omics data from 950 patients across three cohorts, including cardiac surgery patients and those experiencing AKI-to-CKD progression.
  • The initiative aims to identify novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers for AKI, a condition affecting millions worldwide with no current preventive or therapeutic treatments available.

Enhanced Genomics Partners with ALBORADA Institute to Accelerate Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Using 3D Multi-Omics Platform

Drug Discovery
  • Enhanced Genomics has formed a strategic partnership with The ALBORADA Drug Discovery Institute at the University of Cambridge to accelerate Alzheimer's disease drug discovery using 3D multi-omics technology.
  • The collaboration has already identified several novel drug targets for Alzheimer's disease through Enhanced's proprietary Promoter Capture Hi-C technology, which maps long-range chromatin interactions and gene regulatory mechanisms.
  • The partnership demonstrates the potential of 3D multi-omics to significantly reduce drug discovery timelines and increase success rates by harnessing the full potential of the non-coding genome.
  • Both organizations are exploring opportunities to expand their collaboration to other neurodegenerative diseases, with Enhanced Genomics open to additional partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

OutSee Secures £1.8M Seed Funding to Advance AI-Powered Genomics Platform for Drug Discovery

AIDrug Discovery
  • Cambridge-based OutSee raised £1.8M in seed funding led by Ahren Innovation Capital to advance its proprietary AI platform Nomaly for predictive genomics drug discovery.
  • The company's Nomaly technology uses hypothesis-free modeling to predict disease and phenotype directly from single genomes, enabling target discovery from smaller datasets previously considered too complex to interpret.
  • OutSee plans to expand its in-house target pipeline focusing on CNS disorders, rare diseases, and metabolic conditions while establishing partnerships with major pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
  • The funding builds on over £500K in Innovate UK grants and partnerships with Genomics England and FinnGen, positioning the company to transform therapeutic target identification.
© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath
HomeTerms & ConditionsPrivacy Policy