On June 15, 2020 Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ: LGND) reported that Vernalis Research, a Ligand company, has expanded its oncology research collaboration with Servier, an international pharmaceutical company based in France, to jointly identify and enable new therapeutic targets (Press release, Ligand, JUN 15, 2020, View Source [SID1234561094]).
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The new three-year research collaboration combines Vernalis’ strengths in structure and biophysics-based methods as part of the Vernalis Design Platform (VDP) with the oncology expertise at Servier to enable drug discovery related to several undisclosed proteins identified as potential therapeutic targets. The agreement builds on the successful collaboration between the two companies that has led to the discovery of a number of compounds currently in clinical trials.
Vernalis will receive research and success fees, along with potential for milestone payments, and royalties on sales of any target advanced by Servier. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
"This new collaboration further validates our fragment and structure-based drug discovery platform, as well as the strength and success of our relationship with Servier. We look forward to working together to develop exciting new cancer treatment opportunities that may add to the successes we’ve had in targeting Bcl-2 and Mcl-1," commented Mike Wood, Managing Director of Vernalis.
"We are extremely pleased with the progress we have made in partnership with Vernalis. This new research collaboration provides the framework to establish drug discovery against a number of therapeutic targets and further contribute to addressing important unmet needs of cancer patients," added Olivier Geneste, Director of Oncology Research at Servier.
About Vernalis Research
Based in Cambridge, UK, Vernalis Research is a world leader in fragment and structure-guided drug discovery. The Vernalis Design Platform (VDP) integrates protein structure determination and engineering, fragment screening and molecular modeling with medicinal chemistry to enable success in novel drug discovery programs against highly-challenging targets. A key element to the success of VDP is establishing a robust drug discovery platform for each target to validate hit identification using multiple proprietary assay and biophysical systems. Vernalis Research has collaborations across multiple therapeutic areas including oncology, CNS, anti-infectives and inflammation, with global partners and a heritage of successful internal drug discovery in oncology and anti-infectives.