Isogenica Ltd today announced that it has entered into an agreement with
Australian based biopharmaceutical company Phylogica to use Isogenica’s CIS
display technology to optimize the performance of three of
Phylogica’s lead compounds targeting CD40 ligand (CD40L). CD40L is a key
protein involved in many inflammatory diseases, such as Rheumatoid
Arthritis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
“Phylomers are sourced from the most structurally diverse peptide
libraries in the world which translates into exceptionally high
bioactive hit rates, including primary hits with picomolar affinities
for their targets”
Isogenica specialises in the discovery of therapeutic and diagnostic
peptides and proteins using its proprietary technology, CIS
display. Founded in 2000 Isogenica has developed a unique capability
in the field of peptide engineering. CIS
display, an in vitro display technology, allows the rapid
generation of polypeptide libraries of unprecedented size and complexity
from which it is possible to select polypeptides with high affinity and
specificity for most targets.
Phylogica focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of
Phylomer® peptides, especially for inflammatory diseases. Having already
demonstrated lead peptide compounds that bind with high affinity and are
biologically active against CD40L, Phylogica will utilise Isogenica’s CIS
display technology to initiate a comprehensive search process to
optimize the exact chemical and three dimensional structure required to
further enhance the properties of the Phylomer peptides. Helping improve
drug properties such as affinity, stability and potency.
“We believe that the use of CIS
display will accelerate the rapid entry of Phylogica drug candidates
into preclinical development programmes and increase their commercial
value”, said Professor Paul Watt, Phylogica’s VP, Corporate Development.
“Phylomers are sourced from the most structurally diverse peptide
libraries in the world which translates into exceptionally high
bioactive hit rates, including primary hits with picomolar affinities
for their targets”, Prof Watt added.
Kevin Matthews, CEO of Isogenica commented: “Isogenica is focused on
servicing the protein engineering needs of the pharmaceutical and
biotech industries. As such we are delighted to have the opportunity to
work with Phylogica, combining technologies that have the potential to
discover novel and potent therapeutic peptides”.
Phylogica joins over a dozen leading pharmaceutical and biotech
companies that have already partnered with Isogenica in the discovery of
novel peptides for therapeutic and non-therapeutic applications or for
licenses. These include Amgen, AstraZeneca, Centocor, GE Healthcare,
Invitrogen, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Smiths Detection Systems, UCB,
Wyeth.
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