New drug discovery platform aims to deliver first-in-class therapies

65LAB has awarded US$1.5 million (approx. S$1.9 million) to Professor Enrico Petretto to advance a breakthrough drug discovery platform developed at Duke-NUS Medical School. The project aims to deliver first-in-class antifibrotic therapies for lung and kidney diseases-conditions that currently have no effective treatment.

The platform, known as Systems Genetics, integrates computational biology with Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms and is being enhanced with emerging quantum computing approaches.

65LAB is a unique partnership of global investors ClavystBio, Leaps by Bayer, Lightstone Ventures, Polaris Partners and the Polaris Innovation Fund, as well as global life science company Evotec, set up to drive scientific advancement and create new biotech ventures from Singapore. 65LAB Expert-in-Residence Stephen Courtney will provide venture-building guidance to Professor Petretto to develop a commercialisation strategy and advance the project towards company formation.

This award is further supported with a US$390,000 (approx. S$500,000) investment from Duke-NUS' early-stage innovation fund and incubation programme, LIVE Ventures, which helps bridge the gap between academic discovery and commercial development.

Fibrosis, the formation of damaged and scarred extra tissues, can lead to organ failure. Conditions like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (a type of lung disease) affect an estimated 1 in 10,000 people in Asia-Pacific, while chronic kidney disease is a growing health burden, projected to affect one in four residents in Singapore by 2035. Professor Petretto's innovation directly addresses this huge unmet need by identifying molecules that can potentially be developed into new antifibrotic drugs.

We are heartened by the results of our pre-clinical studies, which show at least a 50 per cent reduction in fibrosis in scarred tissues treated with our newly discovered molecules. These compounds work by blocking the activity of a key gene that drives tissue scarring in various diseases. 65LAB's award and the additional funding from LIVE Ventures will enable my team to accelerate the development of these molecules as antifibrotic drugs for clinical testing and future therapeutic use."

Enrico Petretto, Professor and Director, Centre for Computational Biology, Duke-NUS Medical School

Prof Petretto's work builds on his previous discovery of WWP2, a key gene driving tissue fibrosis in multiple conditions, including lung, heart, and kidney disease. The discovery was made using his pioneering Systems Genetics approach.

His team has since integrated Artificial Intelligence for large-scale high-throughput in silico screening, which allows them to sieve through more than 15 billion molecules. He is also advancing the integration of quantum computing to further enhance this powerful drug discovery platform.

Dr Chen Huimei, Principal Research Scientist at Duke-NUS' Centre for Computational Biology and co-Principal Investigator on the project, said:

"Using our computational platform, our team can quickly identify optimal drug targets for complex diseases. We can also widen our candidate pool, improving our chances of discovering molecules that can effectively block the WWP2 gene."

Next, Prof Petretto's team aims to work with partners to test and develop their small-molecule inhibitors into antifibrotic drugs. Prof Petretto's commercialisation aspirations are actively strengthened by Duke-NUS' Centre for Technology and Development, which is protecting the novel drug targets and new molecular entities through strategic patent filings.

Forging partnerships to drive biotech venture creation

The award by 65LAB underscores the importance of close partnerships between academic institutions and industry leaders in accelerating the commercialisation of promising innovations. 65LAB, coupled with early-stage venture funding from Duke-NUS's incubator LIVE Ventures, creates a robust ecosystem to nurture scientific advancements into new therapeutic companies from Singapore, addressing critical health challenges globally.

Prof Petretto's project was selected through a competitive evaluation process and received unanimous support from 65LAB's investors and partners.

Dr. Pei-Sze Ng, Chair of 65LAB Joint Steering Committee and Investment Director at Leaps by Bayer said:

"This award enabling Professor Petretto to advance his groundbreaking work is central to 65LAB's mission. By combining world-class academic research with targeted funding and industry expertise, we're not just accelerating drug discovery; we're actively fostering the growth of Singapore's biotech venture ecosystem and bringing innovative therapies closer to patients who desperately need them."

Associate Professor Christopher Laing, Vice-Dean for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Duke-NUS, said:

"The investment is testimony to the commercialisation potential of Enrico's Systems Genetics pipeline. This project could bring a new therapy to market to treat patients with chronic diseases marked by fibrosis. It is also an affirmation of a robust platform for AI-driven target discovery, which promises more investible opportunities in the future."

The first award by 65LAB was made in July 2024-Associate Professor Lena Ho, also from Duke-NUS, received funding of US$1.5 million for her project developing microproteins into therapeutic targets to treat chronic inflammation.