XtalPi and B.A.I. Partner to Advance Peptide Therapeutics for Skin Disorders

Leifeng.com(Official Account: Lei Feng Network)News: XtalPi and U.S.-based B.A.I. Technologies, Inc. reached a collaboration in November 2021 to jointly advance the research and development of innovative peptide drugs for skin-related diseases.

Currently, many skin inflammatory diseases still lack safe, efficient, and convenient treatments. Peptide drugs, which are intermediate in size between small molecules and protein drugs, possess high specificity, low immunogenicity, and good skin penetration capabilities. For some skin disease targets that are difficult to address with traditional small molecule drugs, innovative peptide drugs can expand research and development pathways. They offer unique advantages in activity, drugability, and safety, and can provide differences in administration routes and clinical effects through various molecular forms, better meeting clinical needs.

This collaboration between XtalPi and B.A.I. will leverage XtalPi's successful experience in topical drug development and the biologics discovery capabilities of its AI platform, combined with B.A.I.'s technical advantages in dermatological drug development and delivery, to de novo design innovative peptide molecules targeting specific skin inflammation pathways, offering better treatment options for patients with skin diseases.

In the collaboration, XtalPi will utilize its proprietary AI algorithms for peptide drug discovery to identify high-activity and high-specificity peptide molecules targeting specific skin inflammation pathways. The company will also design and optimize their structures and sequences tailored to the characteristics of topical medications, aiming to enhance skin penetration, structural stability, and prolong the half-life, thereby significantly improving their drug-like properties.

After XtalPi conducts preliminary activity tests and optimization modifications on the synthesized peptide molecules, B.A.I. will carry out further activity screening through skin models and skin experiments. The experimental data will be fed back into XtalPi's AI algorithm model for iteration until peptide candidate molecules with ideal drug properties and clinical potential are obtained.

XtalPi has established a set of AI biopharmaceutical R&D tools and platforms, integrating prediction algorithms, wet-lab experimental data, and expert experience, applicable to the discovery of biologics such as peptides, recombinant proteins, small proteins, and antibodies. XtalPi has already entered into various biopharmaceutical discovery collaborations with multiple pharmaceutical companies and research institutions.

Dr. Lai Lipeng, co-founder of XtalPi, stated: "XtalPi has always been committed to empowering the source innovation of drug discovery and the underlying R&D innovation with AI. We hope that through in-depth collaboration with the B.A.I. Biopharmaceuticals team, AI-driven drug discovery can be applied to a broader range of therapeutic areas and research challenges."

B.A.I. Founder and CEO Bai Xuefei discussed: "The skin is the largest organ of the human body, and we need to protect and treat skin-related issues and diseases from a scientific and medical perspective. Many skin inflammations in children and adults worldwide do not have very effective treatments. Moreover, many cases of adult contact dermatitis are related to the misuse of cosmetics."

Dr. Tianyuan Wang, Head of Peptide and Protein Drug R&D at XtalPi, said: "Compared with small molecule and antibody drugs, peptides can bring differences in drug delivery routes and clinical effects. We hope that XtalPi can become a strong R&D partner for biopharmaceutical companies on their path to innovation. By utilizing our proprietary peptide de novo design algorithms and high-throughput experimental methods, we aim to accelerate the clinical translation of projects and better meet the diverse clinical needs of patients."

Lilian Guevara, Product Director of B.A.I. and a materials engineer from MIT, stated, "We aim to revolutionize the way people understand and protect their skin by utilizing our patented technology to help patients and consumers achieve the healthiest skin condition possible."

It is reported that B.A.I., a skin medical biotechnology company based in Boston, USA, has recently announced the successful completion of a $4 million seed funding round, surpassing its initial target. This round of investment was led by Marcy Venture Partners, the fund of renowned American rapper Jay-Z, with participation from Brenton Saunders, former Chairman and CEO of Allergan, the world's largest beauty and medical giant, GSF2 Fund co-founded and managed by Harvard professors, Yael Capital, and others.

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