今天，DNA编码化合物库（DEL）技术开发与应用领域的领先者成都先导药物开发股份有限公司（上海证券交易所股票代码：688222.SH，以下简称“成都先导”）宣布与Almac集团旗下的研发驱动型药物发现公司Almac Discovery（以下简称“Almac”）达成新化学实体（NCE）开发战略合作，以期发现针对Almac关注的去泛素化酶（DUB）靶点的全新结构化合物。
去泛素化蛋白酶作为药物靶点与疾病适应症的关联已经得到了广泛有效的生物验证，其对于药物开发的重要性正日渐凸显。Almac拥有行业领先的技术平台，可用于发现与识别去泛素化酶家族中的潜在新靶点。通过该平台，Almac已成功建立了多个新药研发项目管线，并与制药企业合作推进了多个去泛素化酶靶点相关的项目。
成都先导拥有小分子种类数量超过12,000亿的DNA编码化合物库（DEL），是全球目前已知的化合物骨架种类最多、规模最大的实体小分子化合物库。根据合作协议，成都先导将利用其DNA编码化合物库针对Almac提供的去泛素化酶靶点进行筛选。筛选得到的苗头化合物将进行进一步验证，其中符合Almac药物开发标准的化合物将被继续推进到各个药物开发项目中。此次合作旨在最终筛选出强效、高选择性的先导化合物，用于对不同治疗策略中的去泛素化酶靶点进行药理学验证。
Almac 药物发现副总裁Tim Harrison 教授表示：
“我们很高兴能与成都先导达成战略合作。成都先导是药物发现化学研究领域的领先者，拥有丰富的经验，其技术优势与Almac在去泛素化酶靶点相关化学和生物研究方面的专长形成了完美互补。利用去泛素化酶有望开发出疾病治疗的新策略，我们对此感到兴奋，并且十分期待与成都先导一起探索创新疗法，解决亟待满足的治疗需求。”
成都先导董事长兼首席执行官李进博士表示：
“DEL技术平台是成都先导的四个核心技术平台之一，作为推动药物研发的高效‘引擎’，该平台的实力已经得到广泛认可。在过去几年间，成都先导利用DEL技术平台为合作伙伴的新药研发项目发现了近500种新颖化合物结构并实现转让。我们期待与Almac的合作能从DNA编码化合物库中找到全新的小分子化合物起点。双方的科学家团队将紧密合作，开发新的先导化合物，推进相关新药研发项目，解决未被满足的医疗需求。”
成都先导着力打造DNA编码化合物库技术（包括DEL库的设计、合成和筛选及拓展应用）、基于分子片段和三维结构信息的药物设计技术（FBDD/SBDD）、核酸新药研发相关技术（STO）、靶向蛋白降解相关技术（TPD）等四个核心技术平台。其中，DEL技术平台可设计、合成和筛选包含上万亿个 DNA编码化合物的实体分子库，能提供DEL筛选、定制DEL库、OpenDEL?等产品和服务。
关于Almac Discovery
Almac Discovery是一家研发驱动型生物技术公司，致力于一线疗法（FIC，First in Class）的发现和开发，治疗领域包括神经学、肌肉萎缩、肿瘤和炎症等。Almac Discovery专注于临床前新药发现，并通过与制药企业的项目转让实现进一步开发。
获取更多信息，请访问 www.almacgroup.com
媒体咨询：julie.watts@almacgroup.com
关于成都先导
成都先导药物开发股份有限公司（上海证券交易所股票代码：688222.SH，股票名称：成都先导）致力于打造全球一流的创新型生物医药企业，贡献于更好的人类生命健康。公司聚焦小分子及核酸新药的发现与优化，依托DNA编码化合物库技术（包括DEL库的设计、合成和筛选及拓展应用）、基于分子片段和三维结构信息的药物设计技术（FBDD/SBDD）、核酸新药研发相关技术（STO）、靶向蛋白降解相关技术（TPD）等四个核心技术平台及公司其他关键新药研发能力（药化、计算科学、生物评价、药学研究等），打造国际领先的新药发现与优化研发体系，通过新药研发服务、不同阶段在研项目转让以及远期的药物上市等多元化的商业模式，为医药工业输出不同阶段的新分子实体，以期最终为全球未满足的临床需求提供创新药治疗方案。成都先导自创立以来始终致力于核心技术——DNA编码化合物库（DEL）技术的开发、应用和升级，是DEL技术领域的领先者之一，截至2021年末，公司的DNA编码化合物库小分子种类已突破12,000亿，是全球目前已知的化合物骨架种类最多规模最大的实体小分子化合物库。成都先导成立于2012年，总部位于中国成都，在英国剑桥、美国休斯顿设有子公司。公司业务遍布北美、欧洲、亚洲、非洲及大洋洲等，现已与多家国际著名制药公司、生物技术公司、化学公司、基金会以及科研机构建立合作。
获取更多信息，请拨打+86-28-85197385 或访问 www.hitgen.com
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DATE: May 20th, 2022
Almac Discovery and HitGen Announce Strategic Research Collaboration
Almac Discovery, the research driven drug discovery company and a member of the Almac Group, today announced a new research collaboration with HitGen Inc.(SSE: 688222.SH), a world leader in the development and application of DNA-encoded library (DEL) technology for novel chemical equity (NCE) generation. The collaboration is focused on the identification of novel compounds against selected Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUB) targets of strategic interest to Almac.
Almac Discovery has built an industry-leading platform to prosecute novel targets emerging from the DUB class of enzymes, an increasingly important target class for drug development, which is underpinned by high quality biological validation linking these targets to disease indications. Almac has utilised this platform to generate its own portfolio of drug discovery programmes, as well as to advance a number of DUB target programmes of interest to pharmaceutical partners through a collaborative model.
In this collaboration, the companies will work together to identify novel chemical compounds against selected DUB targets.? Almac will provide the targets, and?HitGen?will then screen their expansive library of over 1.2 trillion small molecules against these targets. Initial hits resulting from the?screens will be further validated, and those that meet Almac Discovery’s selection?criteria?will be taken forward into discrete research and development?programmes. The ultimate objective will be to generate highly potent and selective lead compounds that will allow the pharmacological validation of selected DUB targets in a number of different therapeutic modalities.
Professor Tim Harrison, Vice President of Drug Discovery at Almac Discovery, said:“We are delighted to have signed our latest research collaboration agreement with such an experienced and renowned leader in drug discovery chemistry research. The technology that HitGen has developed perfectly complements our expertise in DUB target chemistry and biology.
“We are excited at the possibility of utilizing DUBs to enable new approaches to disease modulation and look forward to working with HitGen to develop innovative treatments for diseases with high unmet medical?need.”
Dr.?Jin?Li, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of?HitGen,?said:“As one of HitGen’s four core technology platforms, DEL is an efficient ‘engine’ to drive drug discovery with proven success. Over the past few years, we have worked with our partners to utilize this platform to generate nearly 500 licensed novel chemical structures for their research projects.? We look forward to working with Almac Discovery to identify novel small molecule starting points from DNA-encoded libraries. We will work closely with Almac Discovery’s scientists to generate new lead compounds for their research programs to address unmet medical needs.”
HitGen has built four core technology platforms including DNA-encoded library (DEL), molecular fragment and structure design (FBDD/SBDD), synthetic therapeutic oligonucleotide (STO) and targeted protein degradation (TPD). The DEL technology platform, centered around the design, synthesis and interrogation of over one trillion component libraries of DNA-encoded small molecules, is capable of providing services and products including DEL screening, customized DEL library, OpenDEL??etc.
About Almac Discovery
Almac Discovery is a research driven biotech company dedicated to the discovery and development of First in Class therapeutics across a range of therapeutic areas including neuroscience, muscle-wasting, oncology and inflammation. Almac Discovery focuses on the discovery to preclinical stage, seeking to licence programmes with a pharmaceutical partner for further development.
For more information,
please visit www.almacgroup.com
Media contact: julie.watts@almacgroup.com
About HitGen Inc.
HitGen Inc.(SSE: 688222.SH), founded in 2012, is headquartered in Chengdu, China, with subsidiaries in Cambridge, UK and Houston, USA. HitGen is committed to building a world-class innovative biopharmaceutical enterprise and contributing to the better life and health of mankind. Engaged in the discovery and optimization of small molecules and nucleic acid drugs, HitGen dedicates itself to cultivating an internationally leading drug discovery and optimization system centered on four key technology platforms, including DNA-encoded library technology (including DEL design, synthesis and screening, and application expansion), fragment-based drug discovery and structure-based drug design technologies (FBDD/SBDD), synthetic therapeutic oligonucleotide technology (STO), and targeted protein degradation technology (TPD). It provides new molecular entities (NMEs) at different stages of research and development for the pharmaceutical industry, through its diversified business models including research and development services, out-licensing of projects at different RD stages, and new drug launches in the long term, with an aim to address unmet clinical needs with innovative therapeutic solutions. As a leader in the field of DEL technology, HitGen has been committed to the development, application and upgrade of DEL technology since its establishment. By the end of 2021, HitGen''s DELs contains more than 1.2 trillion novel, diverse, drug-like small molecules and macrocyclic compounds. These compounds are members of DELs synthesized from many thousands of distinct chemical scaffolds, designed with tractable chemistry, and have yielded proven results for the discovery of small molecule leads against precedented and unprecedented classes of biological targets. HitGen is in collaboration with pharmaceutical, biotech and chemical companies, foundations and research institutes in the Americas, Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania.
For more information, please call +86-28-85197385 or visit www.hitgen.com
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