Japan biotech xFOREST Therapeutics is teaming up with a drug discovery solutions provider in a research pact aiming to develop new RNA structure-targeted small molecule therapeutics, including mRNA candidates.
The biotech and Axcelead Drug Discovery Partners (DDP), an organization also based in Japan, will use xFOREST’s drug discovery platform to identify small molecule compounds that target RNA structures historically considered undruggable, according to a Sept. 19 release.
Axcelead DDP will help build out xFOREST’s platform, which currently includes an RNA structure library and high-throughput screening tech. Together, the partners want to boost research efficiency and the likelihood of producing candidate compounds, according to the release.
Under the terms of the deal, xFOREST will have exclusive rights to develop and commercialize any selected compounds emerging from the pact, while Axcelead DDP will be able to receive certain milestone payments. The specific financial details of the deal were not publicly disclosed.
“By combining Axcelead DDP’s extensive expertise in small molecule drug discovery with our advanced RNA analysis technologies, we are confident that we can accelerate the development of innovative RNA-targeted therapeutics, including those directed at mRNA and pre-mRNA,” xFOREST president and CEO Shunichi Kashida, Ph.D., said in the release.
The Kyoto-based biotech launched in 2020 and has secured drug discovery partnerships with Otsuka, Takeda, Astellas, Daiichi Sankyo and Kyowa Kirin. The biotech has even worked with Axcelead DDP before in a joint RNA research deal with Kyowa Kirin.
As for Axcelead DDP, the solutions provider emerged in 2017 with a drug discovery platform sourced from Takeda. The company provides drug discovery services from target identification into clinical development, according to the release.
The service provider has more than 25 clients, including Eli Lilly, Astellas, Kyowa Kirin and Otsuka.