Apeiron Therapeutics and Exscientia Expand Collaboration to Accelerate Development of Novel Anti-Cancer Therapies Targeting CDK Family Proteins
Jul 21, 2021 12:38
CST Updated
12:38
Apeiron
Pharmaceutical R&D Developer
Exscientia
Developer of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Driven Drug Discovery Technology
Apeiron combines its expertise in cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) targets with Exscientia’s leading AI-driven drug discovery and design capabilities to expand its existing CDK7 drug development pipeline by targeting additional CDKs.
Shanghai, China & Oxford, UK, July 21, 2021 – Today, Apeiron Therapeutics, a company focused on the research and development of innovative oncology drugs, and UK-based pharmaceutical technology company Exscientia jointly announced that the two parties will further expand their strategic collaboration in the field of AI-driven drug discovery. Leveraging Exscientia’s patient-centric, AI-driven drug development technology, both parties will accelerate the research and development of multiple small-molecule anti-TumorThe partnership will be deepened in new drug development, with the aim of specifically treating cancers driven by aberrant cell cycles and establishing an innovative product pipeline comprising multiple candidates that specifically target different CDKs. The CDK pipeline products under development will be jointly owned on a 50:50 basis by Apeiron and Exscientia, while Exscientia will also hold an equity stake in Apeiron.
This expanded collaboration builds upon our prior successful partnership in designing highly selective CDK7 inhibitors. The highly potent, highly selective, non-covalent CDK7 inhibitor has demonstrated consistent tumor inhibition and an excellent pharmacokinetic profile across multiple xenograft tumor models. Furthermore, in primary tissue samples from ovarian cancer patients, the CDK7 inhibitor exhibited enhanced tumor cytotoxicity and inTumorSelectivity for immune cells in the microenvironment.
Dr. Li Mingxi, President of Apeiron, stated: “Based on the achievements Exscientia has already made, it is undoubtedly a leader in the field of AI-driven drug discovery, which we have witnessed firsthand throughout our collaboration to date. We have been deeply impressed by its capability to leverage artificial intelligence and patient data to optimize and screen molecules that are more likely to yield positive clinical outcomes. The collaborative project with Exscientia on the CDK inhibitor pipeline further expands Apeiron's existing portfolio of selective CDK7 inhibitors and synthetic lethal anti-”Tumorproduct pipeline, accelerating our early-stage output and the pace of our transition into a clinical-stage biotechnology company.”
Exscientia CEO Andrew Hopkins stated: “We are committed to bringing medicines that improve patients’ lives to market. Apeiron’s robust biotechnology capabilities in oncology enable us to develop superior therapies and achieve better clinical outcomes. Our prior collaboration has demonstrated our ability to generate high-quality potential drug candidates based on reliable patient data, and we look forward to expanding this into a multi-product pipeline.” (BioValley bioon）
Shanghai, China & Oxford, UK, July 21, 2021 – Today, Apeiron Therapeutics, a company focused on the research and development of innovative oncology drugs, and UK-based pharmaceutical technology company Exscientia jointly announced that the two parties will further expand their strategic collaboration in the field of AI-driven drug discovery. Leveraging Exscientia’s patient-centric, AI-driven drug development technology, both parties will accelerate the research and development of multiple small-molecule anti-TumorThe partnership will be deepened in new drug development, with the aim of specifically treating cancers driven by aberrant cell cycles and establishing an innovative product pipeline comprising multiple candidates that specifically target different CDKs. The CDK pipeline products under development will be jointly owned on a 50:50 basis by Apeiron and Exscientia, while Exscientia will also hold an equity stake in Apeiron.
This expanded collaboration builds upon our prior successful partnership in designing highly selective CDK7 inhibitors. The highly potent, highly selective, non-covalent CDK7 inhibitor has demonstrated consistent tumor inhibition and an excellent pharmacokinetic profile across multiple xenograft tumor models. Furthermore, in primary tissue samples from ovarian cancer patients, the CDK7 inhibitor exhibited enhanced tumor cytotoxicity and inTumorSelectivity for immune cells in the microenvironment.
Dr. Li Mingxi, President of Apeiron, stated: “Based on the achievements Exscientia has already made, it is undoubtedly a leader in the field of AI-driven drug discovery, which we have witnessed firsthand throughout our collaboration to date. We have been deeply impressed by its capability to leverage artificial intelligence and patient data to optimize and screen molecules that are more likely to yield positive clinical outcomes. The collaborative project with Exscientia on the CDK inhibitor pipeline further expands Apeiron's existing portfolio of selective CDK7 inhibitors and synthetic lethal anti-”Tumorproduct pipeline, accelerating our early-stage output and the pace of our transition into a clinical-stage biotechnology company.”
Exscientia CEO Andrew Hopkins stated: “We are committed to bringing medicines that improve patients’ lives to market. Apeiron’s robust biotechnology capabilities in oncology enable us to develop superior therapies and achieve better clinical outcomes. Our prior collaboration has demonstrated our ability to generate high-quality potential drug candidates based on reliable patient data, and we look forward to expanding this into a multi-product pipeline.” (BioValley bioon）