Avicenna Biosciences and Molecure S.A. Form Strategic Collaboration to Boost Small Molecule Drug Development
Thursday, August 01, 2024
Molecure S.A. (SWE Ticker: MOC) and Avicenna Biosciences, Inc. have announced a strategic research partnership to develop novel small molecule drugs targeting ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7), a deubiquitinase linked to various tumors. The collaboration will combine Molecure’s expertise in USP7 biology and drug discovery with Avicenna’s machine learning-driven medicinal chemistry platform to discover new drug candidates with superior pharmaceutical properties.
USP7 is a crucial cancer target that regulates the stability of proteins involved in tumor suppression and immune response pathways. Avicenna will utilize algorithms to identify new chemical entities that inhibit USP7 and meet specific pharmacological criteria. Molecure will synthesize and evaluate these entities, selecting the most promising for further development. Molecure retains the rights to develop and commercialize any resulting drug candidates.
Avicenna will receive an upfront fee and research funding, contingent on the success of the compounds. If Molecure licenses the generated molecules, Avicenna will receive license fees and a share of future revenues from the drug candidates developed by Molecure.
Molecure, stated, “By merging Molecure’s knowledge of this validated target with Avicenna’s ML-driven chemistry platform, we aim to develop superior drug candidates for preclinical and clinical development.”
Avicenna, added, “We are impressed with Molecure’s expertise in targeting USP7 and their dedication to new treatments for difficult-to-treat cancers. Avicenna is eager to help transform chemical potential into biological and clinical reality for this important target.”
Source: businesswire.com
