XTAL Tech Strategically Invests in PhoreMost to Close the Loop on AI-Driven Drug Discovery from Target Identification to Preclinical Development

36Kr has learned that AI drug development companyXtalPiUK Biopharmaceutical Companies That Have Invested in “Challenging Undruggable Targets”PhoreMostThis $46 million Series B financing round was led by BGF, with participation from XtalPi and other new and existing investors. Dr. Jiang Yide, Chief Strategy Officer of XtalPi, will join the Board of Directors of PhoreMost.

It is reported that the new round of financing will be used to advance PhoreMost’s proprietary and partnered drug pipelines in the fields of cancer and age-related diseases, and to leverage its protein phenotypic screening platform to develop novel therapies in the field of targeted protein degradation. Among these, a novel PLK1-targeting drug candidate for brain cancer, based on an allosteric site, is expected to enter clinical studies in 2022.

Data showsPhoreMost has developed a next-generation phenotypic screening platform called SITESEEKER®. Based on its proprietary “protein interference” technology (PROTEINi®), SITESEEKER systematically reveals cryptic druggable sites across the entire human genome and directly links them to effective therapeutic functions within living cells. Through phenotypic readouts, PROTEINi enables large-scale exploration and identification of drug mimetics in living cells.

According to reports, a key feature of PROTEINi is its ability to expand the existing target identification landscape by identifying proteins and complexes typically considered undruggable. By detecting therapeutic nodes in every reaction, PROTEINi enables researchers to gain deeper insights into the bioactivity of regulatory pathways. This allows for systematic scanning of the entire proteome to identify optimal new targets for drug development and determine appropriate therapeutic strategies, thereby accelerating drug discovery and development.

In summary, PhoreMost’s SITESEEKER® platformIt enables the discovery of novel targets for any disease, identifying druggable sites with therapeutic potential, and is particularly effective for targets considered "undruggable" due to the lack of well-defined active pockets.。

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XtalPi stated that this technology is highly complementary to its ID4 (Intelligent Digital Drug Discovery and Development) platform: combining “PhoreMost’s target discovery capabilities” with “XtalPi’s established drug molecule discovery algorithms and molecular synthesis experimental capabilities” creates a full-chain R&D closed loop from target discovery to preclinical development, thereby enhancing XtalPi’s ability to independently discover new drugs and systematically generate high-value early-stage drug assets in key therapeutic areas.

It is reported that XtalPi’s participation in PhoreMost’s Series B financing round stemmed from the existing collaboration between the two companies. In 2020,XtalPi and PhoreMost Jointly Launch New Drug Discovery Project, leveraging XtalPi’s AI-driven R&D platform to tackle “undruggable” oncology targets selected by PhoreMost.

In this collaboration, XtalPi leverages its ID4 intelligent drug discovery platform to generate customized, ultra-large drug-like chemical spaces for new targets selected by PhoreMost. By integrating machine learning with quantum physics algorithms for the assessment and screening of key properties, the partnership aims to develop corresponding candidate compounds for various types of cancer. Furthermore, XtalPi’s strategic investment in PhoreMost will deepen their collaboration, extending the joint R&D model to additional disease areas.

According to reports, over the past six months, XtalPi has collaborated with entities includingHuadong Medicine、3D Medicines, including Singleron and Xigene Biotech, have established new drug discovery collaborations with multiple pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. These partnerships leverage AI algorithms to simultaneously drive multiple anticancer drug development projects, with several novel drugs accelerating into clinical trials. To date, XtalPi’s ID4 platform has accelerated the discovery and development of over 100 pipeline drugs.