Compugen Announces Positive Animal Model Results for Novel Peptide Predicted to Block Protein-Protein Interaction
07 March 2011 - 11:00PM
Business Wire
Compugen Ltd. (NASDAQ: CGEN) announced today positive animal
model results for CGEN-25068, a novel peptide predicted and
selected in silico to block a specific protein-protein interaction
known to play an important role in various immune-related disease
conditions. CGEN-25068 is one of a number of novel peptides
predicted and selected as part of the validation activities for
Compugen's Protein-Protein Interaction Blockers (PPI Blockers)
Discovery Platform and is the first of these peptides to complete
animal model testing. Additional peptides predicted to block
targeted interactions in other pathways, primarily cancer-related,
are at various stages of validation.
Protein-protein interactions are central to many key biological
functions and thus the potential therapeutic applications of
inhibiting such interactions are wide-ranging and of high industry
interest. However, the discovery of drugs for such targeted therapy
is extremely challenging and research efforts to find small
molecules that inhibit such protein-protein interactions have been
largely unsuccessful.
The PPI Blockers Platform was developed in order to address this
need. Through the use of sequence and structure based proprietary
algorithms integrated with additional computational biology tools,
the Platform identifies potential protein binding segments on the
target protein of interest or on proteins predicted to interact
with the target protein. The identification and prioritization of
these segments then allows the prediction and selection of peptides
that could serve as drugs by blocking all, or a portion of, an
interacting site. These "blocking peptides" could either serve as
therapeutic agents themselves, or be used for the development of
therapeutic agents such as monoclonal antibodies.
Using the PPI Blockers Platform, CGEN-25068 was one of several
novel peptides predicted to inhibit a specific protein-protein
interaction occurring in a protein target expressed on neutrophils
and monocytes, and known to play an important role in certain
disease conditions by amplifying the immune response. After
synthesizing the in silico predicted novel peptides, initial in
vitro cell-based validation supported CGEN-25068's effect on the
immune response by inhibition of neutrophils' activation. The
animal model which was then used for in vivo validation was
lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxemia, a model for septic
shock, which leads to animal death. In these experiments,
CGEN-25068 was shown to significantly increase the survival rate of
the animals.
Dr. Zurit Levine, Compugen's VP R&D, stated, "We are pleased
to report this first animal model validation of a peptide predicted
by our PPI Platform to block disease associated protein-protein
interactions. The PPI Blockers Platform is now proving to be an
important addition to our predictive discovery infrastructure, with
recent efforts focused on the identification of novel peptides
designed to interfere with protein-protein interactions involved in
cancer biology and development. To date, four pathway targets for
cancer therapy have entered our Pipeline Program and blocking
peptides for each are at various stages of evaluation. These four
pathways are related to aspects of cancer growth, metastasis and
cancer stem cells, all areas of high industry interest."
About the Protein–Protein Interactions Blockers (PPI
Blockers) Platform
The PPI Blockers Discovery Platform consists of two main
components. The first component creates a predicted protein-protein
interaction map for the protein target of interest in a selected
biological pathway. This map is based on both the target's known
protein partners and additional proteins predicted by Compugen as
potential partners, through the analysis of human and non-human
proteomes and interaction data.
The second component, utilizing a series of sequence and
structure based proprietary algorithms and other computational
biology tools, identifies potential protein binding segments on the
target protein of interest or on proteins predicted to interact
with it. The identification and prioritization of these segments
then allows the prediction and selection of peptides that could
serve as drugs by blocking all, or a portion of, an interacting
site. After prediction and selection, the peptides are synthesized
and undergo first in vitro, and then in vivo studies. These peptide
blockers may either serve as therapeutic peptides or be used for
the development of therapeutic agents such as monoclonal
antibodies.
About Compugen
Compugen is a leading drug and diagnostic discovery company
providing novel product candidates addressing important unmet
therapeutic and diagnostic needs to pharmaceutical, biotech and
diagnostic companies under milestone and royalty bearing – or other
revenue sharing – agreements. Unlike traditional high throughput
trial and error experimental based discovery, Compugen's discovery
efforts consist of in silico (by computer) hypothesis-driven
product candidate prediction and selection followed by in vitro and
in vivo experimental validation. Compugen' unique in silico
prediction and selection capabilities are based on a broad and
continuously growing infrastructure of proprietary scientific
understandings and predictive platforms, algorithms, machine
learning systems and other computational biology tools. Industry
collaborations may be entered into before product candidate
discovery is undertaken pursuant to "discovery on demand" type
arrangements, or with respect to existing product candidates, can
be initiated prior to, or at the proof of concept stage, or after
selected preclinical activities have been undertaken by Compugen.
In 2002, Compugen established an affiliate, Evogene Ltd.
(www.evogene.com) (TASE:EVGN.TA), to utilize certain of the
Company's in silico predictive discovery capabilities in
agricultural biotechnology. For additional information, please
visit Compugen's corporate website at www.cgen.com.
This press release may contain "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. These statements include words such as "may," "expects,"
"anticipates," "believes," and "intends," and describe opinions
about future events. These forward-looking statements involve known
and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual
results, performance or achievements of Compugen to be materially
different from any future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of
these risks are: changes in relationships with collaborators; the
impact of competitive products and technological changes; risks
relating to the development of new products; and the ability to
implement technological improvements. These and other factors are
identified and more fully explained under the heading "Risk
Factors" in Compugen's annual reports filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
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