Caltech AI professor and biotech veterans secure $13M in venture capital to create new category of biologic medicine

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Aizen Therapeutics, an AI-driven biotechnology company, today emerged from stealth with early-stage programs powered by its novel drug discovery platform, DaX™. The platform, developed by Caltech Professor David Van Valen, MD, PhD and Aizen's research team, represents a first-in-class, computational protein design model for Mirror Peptides.

Mirror Peptides , composed entirely of D-amino acids, represent the mirror image structure of naturally occurring proteins and peptides composed of L-amino acids. This novel structure allows Mirror Peptides to not only engage targets with strong affinity and specificity, but also confer enhanced stability and reduced immunogenicity for therapeutic applications.

"Mirror Peptides open up an unprecedented chemical space beyond what Nature provides," said Ajay Kshatriya, Chief Executive Officer of Aizen. "When configured as a targeting moiety or drug conjugate, Mirror Peptides have the potential to improve the lives of patients and their families across a broad range of diseases."

The biopharma industry has maintained a long interest in D-amino acids, with several FDA-approved drugs incorporating these amino acids to improve clinical efficacy. Due to the daunting challenge, a Mirror Peptide designed entirely of D-amino acids with programmable therapeutic properties has remained elusive for the industry. The DaX (D-amino acid eXplorer) platform seeks to overcome this obstacle.

"By integrating advanced Generative AI with the breadth of structural biology data, DaX has unlocked de novo computational design of full D-amino acid therapeutics," said Aizen scientific founder David Van Valen, MD, PhD. "We've validated this approach in the lab with multiple, clinically-relevant target receptors."

Spun out of Caltech, Aizen is headquartered in the biotech hub of San Diego, and focused on developing an internal pipeline of drug candidates while actively engaging prospective biopharma for collaborations. Aizen secured $13M in financing from leading venture capital investors including Wilson Hill, Madrona, and Cercano towards these objectives.

"Madrona invests at the forefront of protein design, partnering with researchers from across the country," says Chris Picardo, Partner at Madrona. "Aizen is on the leading edge of AI-driven drug discovery for Mirror Peptides, and we are thrilled to invest in the experienced team."

For more information, visit www.aizentx.com or contact info@aizentx.com

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SOURCE Aizen Therapeutics