On December 3, 2024 Congruence Therapeutics reported that it has entered into a research collaboration agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Ono) to discover novel drug candidates leveraging Congruence’s proprietary drug discovery platform, Revenir (Press release, Ono, DEC 3, 2024, View Source [SID1234648771]). Congruence will apply its technology and expertise toward multiple cancer protein targets. Once the discovery effort advances to a prespecified stage, Ono has the option to acquire exclusive worldwide rights to further develop and commercialize small molecule correctors generated during the collaboration.
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"We believe that this collaboration with Congruence may help generating novel small molecule correctors for validated targets in the oncology area by leveraging their own technologies in protein dynamics and computational biology, leading to our development pipeline," said Seishi Katsumata, PhD, Corporate Officer / Executive Director, Discovery & Research of Ono. "We will be committed to delivering innovative new drugs to cancer patients as soon as possible."
The collaboration will leverage Congruence’s purpose-built computational drug discovery engine called Revenir, which captures the biophysical changes caused by mutations in proteins. By examining surface features and numerous biophysical descriptors of both the mutated and wild-type proteins, Congruence can derive novel insights regarding protein defects and how to correct them. Congruence’s current pipeline consists of both first-in-class and best-in-class potential therapeutic candidates that address significant unmet medical need in a number of high value indications.
"Congruence is thrilled to partner with Ono, which has established itself as a global leader in drug development, particularly in the oncology space. We believe that our Revenir platform and capabilities in protein dynamics will accelerate the discovery of novel therapies for compelling targets of interest to both companies," said Sharath Hegde PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Congruence.
Under the terms of the collaboration, Congruence will receive an undisclosed upfront payment and is eligible to receive milestone payments upon the achievement of certain discovery, development, approval and sales events – as well as tiered royalties based on annual net sales of related products. Ono will additionally reimburse Congruence for the research costs it incurs in connection with the collaboration. Ono has the option to take an exclusive worldwide license to development candidates discovered under the collaboration.
About Revenir Drug Discovery Platform
Revenir, Congruence’s proprietary computational drug discovery platform, captures the dynamic biophysical changes caused by mutations in proteins, offering unique insights into protein defects and their correction. By examining surface features and a spectrum of biophysical descriptors across an ensemble of protein conformers, Revenir predicts small molecule induced correction of the underlying defect.