Collaboration will leverage Degron's
GlueXplorer® platform to discover novel molecular glue
degraders for multiple targets in oncology, neuroscience,
and inflammation
Degron will receive upfront payment and
potential milestone payments of up to $1.2
billion
Takeda to make equity investment in the
company
SAN
DIEGO, Calif. and SHANGHAI,
China, May 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Degron
Therapeutics ("Degron"), the company using its molecular glue-based
targeted protein degradation drug-discovery platform to advance
human health, today announced it has entered into a collaboration
and exclusive license agreement with Takeda to discover and develop
novel molecular glue degraders for multiple targets in oncology,
neuroscience, and inflammation.
Degron and Takeda will collaborate to utilize Degron's
GlueXplorer® platform to identify, validate, and
optimize molecular glue degraders for specific therapeutic targets
selected by Takeda. Upon reaching a certain stage of advancement,
the projects would be transitioned to Takeda for further
development and commercialization.
"We are excited to collaborate with Takeda, expanding the use of
our platform into new therapeutic areas," said Lily Zou, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Degron
Therapeutics. "Degron's differentiated and powerful GlueXplorer
platform has been validated by its robust, first-in-class pipeline
of novel molecular glue drugs for disease targets that are
undruggable by other modalities or better addressed with this new
modality. By partnering with Takeda, we combine our molecular glue
discovery expertise with Takeda's vast drug development and
commercialization experience in hopes of offering patients
worldwide a new class of treatments."
Under the terms of the agreement, Degron Therapeutics will
receive an upfront payment and is eligible to receive potential
future preclinical, clinical development and commercial milestone
payments that could total $1.2
billion if all related milestones are achieved over the
course of the agreement. Degron is also eligible to receive tiered
royalty payments on sales of any potential commercialized products.
The parties have the option to expand the collaboration to include
more targets. Additionally, Takeda will make an equity investment
in Degron. Degron Therapeutics will retain full ownership of its
pipeline programs.
"Molecular glue degraders are a new class of drugs that can be
directed at targets previously inaccessible or inadequately
modulated by other treatment modalities," said Chris Arendt, Chief Scientific Officer, Head of
Research at Takeda. "This collaboration with Degron not only
adds an innovative new platform to our drug discovery toolbox, it
is also an example of cutting-edge innovation emerging in the
exciting China biotech
sector."
Founded in 2021, Degron Therapeutics builds on research from the
laboratory of ShanghaiTech University professor and company
co-founder Yong Cang, Ph.D. Degron
developed a proprietary GlueXplorer platform, which encompasses a
unique and expanding library of structurally differentiated
molecular glue degraders, multiple complementary screening
approaches, and extensive assays to thoroughly validate the
molecular glue mechanism for degraders discovered by the platform.
Degron has generated a large amount of proprietary data and
developed an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to predict
novel molecular glue targets and accelerate compound discovery.
Degron has created more than 60 novel diverse cores and 10,000
compounds for its library and a robust pipeline of programs
targeting important disease targets including previously
undruggable ones across multiple therapeutic areas.
About Degron Therapeutics
Degron Therapeutics uses its
molecular glue-based targeted protein degradation drug discovery
platform to develop novel medicines and advance human health. The
company's unique GlueXplorer® platform encompasses a
rapidly expanding IP-protected compound library and screening
systems to develop a new class of small-molecule medicines that
target important disease targets, including those previously
undruggable. The company's pipeline comprises a growing number of
preclinical programs for oncology, inflammation, metabolic
disorders, and rare diseases. For more information, please
visit www.degrontx.com.
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SOURCE Degron Therapeutics