On January 15, 2020 AUM Biosciences (AUM), a Singapore-headquartered clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to speedily developing affordable cancer therapies, and Cyclica, a Toronto-based biotechnology company leveraging AI and computational biophysics to decentralize drug discovery, reported a partnership under Project Nexus to apply Cyclica’s proprietary drug discovery platform in AUM’s diverse R&D programs for the early-stage discovery of novel cancer therapies (Press release, AUM BioSciences, JAN 15, 2020, View Source [SID1234553237]).
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
While there has been remarkable progress over the past few decades, cancer remains a major concern, with one in every six deaths being related to cancer. With the complex nature of cancer, researchers are faced with challenges in developing effective and affordable cancer treatments using classical drug discovery approaches, which ultimately results in barriers to affordability and availability of life-saving medicines for patients in need.
In this strategic partnership, AUM will deploy its drug development expertise, including a biomarker-driven approach, and utilize Cyclica’s integrated AI-augmented and structure-based platform, Ligand Design and Ligand Express, which together will design advanced lead-like molecules that minimize unwanted off-target effects while providing a holistic understanding of a molecule’s activity through integrated systems biology and structural pharmacogenomics.
"The ability to delve deeper into complex medical outcomes enhances the potential for discovery and assessment of novel molecules while in the development stage, which reduces the risk of failure and expedites the process," said Vishal Doshi, CEO of AUM Biosciences. "We are excited about this partnership with Cyclica, which will help us discover the undiscovered to address the needs of patients in Asia."
"Cyclica’s goal is to decentralize the discovery of medicines by partnering with hyper innovative biotechs globally. We are impressed with AUM’s expertise in drug development and our shared passion for tackling disease areas that are among the most intricate and impactful," says Cyclica’s President & CEO, Naheed Kurji.
Cyclica will receive an upfront payment as well as milestone payments upon the completion of specific stages for Project Nexus. AUM will maintain rights for future development and commercialization of drug assets resulting from Project Nexus.