Cambridge Antibody Technology and Philochem Announce Technology Evaluation Agreement
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Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT) and Philochem AG announce that they have signed a technology evaluation agreement for Philochem to apply its proprietary DNA-encoded libraries to the discovery of low molecular weight compounds against three undisclosed targets of pharmaceutical interest.
Philochem will use its Encoded Self-Assembling Chemical (ESAC) Libraries, in which chemical pharmacophores (structural features of a molecule that determine its biological activity) are displayed on DNA that contains an associated tag sequence and is selected by binding to protein targets.
Chemical pharmacophores are thereby isolated and identified by their associated DNA tag. This technology is, therefore, analogous to the Phage and Ribosome Display technology used at CAT to develop therapeutic antibodies, in simultaneously selecting the binding molecule and its encoding sequence.
The study will provide CAT with an evaluation of this extension of display technology beyond selection of macromolecules to identification of low molecular weight compounds capable of specific binding to protein targets of pharmaceutical interest, leading to an assessment of its potential to generate leads for small molecule drugs.
The terms of this agreement are not being disclosed.