TIDMC4XD
RNS Number : 6050K
C4X Discovery Holdings PLC
17 December 2018
C4X Discovery Holdings plc
("C4XD", "C4X Discovery" or the "Company")
C4XD and Horizon Discovery enter exclusive partnership to
develop next-generation synthetic lethality targets in oncology
identified by Horizon's CRISPR-Cas9 technology
17 December 2018 - C4X Discovery Holdings plc (AIM: C4XD), a
pioneering drug discovery company, today announces that it has
entered into an exclusive target discovery partnership with Horizon
Discovery Group plc ("Horizon", AIM: HZD), a global leader in the
application of gene editing and gene modulation technologies. The
partnership aims to validate novel synthetic lethal oncology
targets that have been identified by Horizon's cutting-edge
CRISPR-Cas9 technology leading to the generation of potential new
drugs for patients with limited effective treatments such as
colorectal and lung cancer.
C4XD aims to apply its proprietary 4D shape-based chemistry
technology (Conformetrix) to discover drug candidates directed
against these high value, novel, synthetic lethality targets and
out-license them to clinical development partners. This discovery
partnership bolsters C4XD's oncology pipeline, a high priority
therapeutic area for the company.
The therapeutic concept of harnessing synthetic lethality in
cancer with tumour-specific mutations has been demonstrated with
the recent approval of the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)
inhibitors LynparzaÒ ZejulaÒ and RubracaÒ. These drugs are
effective in indications that are poorly served by immunotherapy
drugs, such as checkpoint inhibitors, and have become an
established treatment in ovarian cancer. They work by targeting a
specific DNA repair pathway that cancer cells, with mutations such
as BRCA, become over-reliant on. Inhibiting this critical DNA
repair pathway causes the tumour cells to self-destruct, resulting
in the terminology 'synthetic lethality'. The pharmaceutical
industry is now rushing to fill its clinical pipelines with
investigational drugs, identified by empirical research, that might
produce similar efficacy in cancers where PARP inhibitors are not
effective.
However, recent advancements in the gene-editing tool,
CRISPR-Cas9, has enabled systematic 'functional genomic' screening
to identify novel synthetic lethal genes in cancer cells with
specific mutations. Horizon has utilised its target discovery
platform to conduct high quality CRISPR gene knock-out studies
across multiple cancer cell lines, screening around 3000 genes
suitable as the basis for small molecule drug targets. This
cutting-edge approach has identified a shortlist of 20 novel, high
value synthetic lethal genes following a secondary screen to
further validate them as targets. The partnership has been
established to complete the target validation package for these
novel targets, leading to the initiation of drug discovery
programmes by C4XD should it exercise its options on a
target-by-target basis. C4XD will provide the funding for the work
plan and Horizon will receive a share of all future revenues C4XD
receives should any drug discovery programmes emerging from the
partnership be out-licensed for clinical development.
Dr Craig Fox, Chief Scientific Officer of C4XD, said: "PARP
inhibitors are transforming the treatment of ovarian cancer,
particularly in patients with BRCA mutations and so identifying the
next generation of synthetic lethality drug targets is a key
priority to develop new therapies for cancers patients who are not
responsive to current treatments. This partnership with Horizon
gives C4XD access to a comprehensive proprietary CRISPR screening
dataset that has selected the most promising novel drug targets in
colon and lung cancer. We look forward to working with the highly
experienced team at Horizon to complete the target validation
package for these novel genes and initiate drug discovery
programmes to generate high value pre-clinical licensable assets
for partnering."
Dr Jon Moore, Horizon's Chief Scientific Officer added:
"Drugging the cancer genome now requires new synthetic lethal
therapies that can exploit the vulnerabilities in patient's tumours
that are created by mutations in undruggable cancer driver genes.
Horizon's internal research program has used powerful CRISPR
technology to open a new window into how cancer cells are wired and
has identified a cohort of novel targets. We are delighted to have
secured this collaboration with C4X Discovery, which applies a
powerful drug discovery engine to the first-in-class opportunities
for transformational medicines represented by the targets Horizon
has found and allows Horizon to share in the upside."
- Ends -
For further information, please contact:
C4X Discovery Holdings plc
Clive Dix, Chief Executive Officer
+44 (0)7801 865 803
Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited (NOMAD and Broker)
Freddy Crossley, Emma Earl (Corporate Finance) +44 (0)20 7886
2500
James Stearns (Corporate Broking)
Consilium Strategic Communications
Mary-Jane Elliott, Chris Gardner, Matthew Neal +44 (0)203 709
5700
Horizon Discovery
Terry Pizzie, Chief Executive Officer
Richard Vellacott, Chief Financial Officer +44 (0)203 709
5700
About C4X Discovery
C4X Discovery aims to become the world's most productive drug
discovery engine by exploiting cutting edge technologies to design
and create best-in-class small-molecule candidates targeting a
range of high value therapeutic areas. The company's goal is to
drive returns through early-stage revenue-generating deals with the
pharmaceutical industry.
C4X Discovery has a state-of-the-art suite of proprietary
technologies across the drug discovery process. The company's
innovative DNA-based target identification platform (Taxonomy3(R))
utilises human genetic datasets to identify novel patient-specific
targets leading to greater discovery productivity and increased
probability of clinical success. This is complemented by C4XD's
novel drug design platform which comprises two innovative chemistry
technologies, Conformetrix and Molplex, that combine 4D molecular
shape analyses (based on experimental data) with best-in-class
computational chemistry. This provides new and unprecedented
insight into the behaviour of drug molecules, enabling the
production of potent selective compounds faster and more cost
effectively than the industry standard.
C4X Discovery is advancing its in-house pipeline that is
primarily focused on the high value therapeutic areas of
inflammation, neurodegeneration and cancer (including
immuno-oncology) with a number of new drug candidates identified
and further progress made towards the pre-clinical licensing
discussions. In selecting new targets and executing new drug
discovery programmes, C4X Discovery focuses on high-value disease
areas that are the subject of significant licensing activity and
will continue to also maximise value from opportunistic areas such
as addiction and diabetes. The Company recently signed a licensing
agreement with Indivior for a pre-clinical addiction programme
worth up to $294 million.
The Company was founded as a spin-out from the University of
Manchester. It has a highly experienced management team and Board
who have delivered significant value creation within the healthcare
sector historically and have enabled C4XD to reach multiple value
inflexion points since IPO. For additional information please go
to: www.c4xdiscovery.com
About Horizon Discovery Group plc www.horizondiscovery.com
Horizon Discovery Group plc (LSE: HZD) ("Horizon") is a world
leader in gene editing and gene modulation technologies. Horizon
designs and engineers cells using its translational genomics
platform, a highly precise and flexible suite of DNA editing tools
(rAAV, ZFN, CRISPR and Transposon) and, following the acquisition
of Dharmacon, Inc., its functional genomics platform comprising
gene knockdown (RNAi) and gene expression (cDNA, ORF) tools, for
research and clinical applications that advance human health.
Horizon's platforms and capabilities enable researchers to alter
almost any gene or modulate its function in human or mammalian cell
lines.
Horizon offers an extensive range of catalogue products and
related research services to support a greater understanding of the
function of genes across all species and the genetic drivers of
human disease and the development of personalized molecular, cell
and gene therapies. These have been adopted by over 10,000
academic, drug discovery, drug manufacturing and clinical
diagnostics customers around the globe, as well as in the Company's
own R&D pipeline.
Horizon is headquartered in Cambridge, UK, and is listed on the
London Stock Exchange's AIM market under the ticker "HZD."
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contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
END
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