Novartis will leverage Dunad's platform to generate novel oral covalent and protein degrading small molecule drugs across multiple targets
Novartis and Dunad to create oral protein degrading drugs. (Credit: Pexels from Pixabay.)
Novartis has signed a strategic collaboration and license deal with Dunad Therapeutics to create oral covalent and protein degrading small molecule drugs.
Under the terms of the agreement, the Swiss drugmaker obtains an exclusive option to develop and commercialise the small molecule drugs targeting up to four drug targets.
Dunad is eligible to receive $24m in an upfront payment and equity investment, along with substantial research funding.
The UK-based biopharmaceutical company is also eligible to receive additional milestone and royalty payments worth up to $1.3bn.
In addition to Novartis, and its founding investor Epidarex Capital, Dunad will also receive investment from new investor BioGeneration Ventures (BGV).
BGV general partner Oskar Slotboom will be appointed to the company’s Board of Directors.
Dunad co-founder, acting chief executive officer and chief scientific officer Patrick Gunning said: “We are thrilled to have entered this collaboration with Novartis, which has already established a world-leading position in the protein degradation space.
“This deal highlights the clear benefits our platform promises for the development of next-generation targeted protein degrader therapeutics.
“We are confident that with our approach of inducing degradation via direct modulation of target proteins with mono-valent small molecules, we can significantly expand the boundaries of targeted protein degraders as a therapeutic modality.”
Dunad’s platform is capable of generating orally bioavailable degrader therapeutics that expands the frontiers of protein degradation targets.
The platform leverages mono-valent small molecules to achieve selective degradation of disease-causing proteins through direct modification of the target.
Under the collaboration with Novartis, the company will deploy its platform to create covalent and protein degrading small molecule drugs targeting four drugs.
Dunad is responsible for executing the programme up to lead optimisation.
Novartis would deploy its target and ligand knowledge, and provide access to assays and models, in addition to fully funding the research collaboration.
The company, upon exercise of this option, will undertake the future development, manufacturing and global commercialisation of therapeutic products.
Dunad co-founder and chief operating officer Diana Kraskouskaya said: “This collaboration is an important milestone for Dunad.
“It allows us to rapidly expand the impact of our platform technology to additional target classes and therapeutic areas, beyond Dunad’s own internal target pipeline.
“Our growing team is committed to advancing our internal pipeline and partnered programs directed against the most sought-after and previously intractable targets.”