Strategic Alliance for Discovery and Development of new Treatments for Cancer and Neurodegenerative Diseases

29 May 2018

DyNAbind GmbH and CEITEC – Central European Institute of Technology announced that they have entered a strategic alliance for the discovery and development of drug candidates targeting human 14-3-3 protein complexes based on research performed in the labs of Dr. Jozef Hritz at CEITEC.

Dr. Jozef Hritz (Photo: MUNI archive)

14-3-3 proteins play a crucial role in many cellular processes by interacting with a number of different protein partners to control different aspects of cell growth and signaling. Although implicated in a number of different neurodegenerative diseases as well as cancer, these targets have proven difficult to drug using classical methods, due to their protein-protein interactions.

By deploying DyNAbind’s Dynamic Library platform for DNA-Encoded Library drug discovery, hundreds of millions of potential affector molecules can be rapidly generated and tweaked in situ in order to find not only potent, but also specific binders for the targets.

"DyNAbind is always keen for an opportunity to work with innovative targets," said Michael Thompson, Ph.D, co-founder and CEO of DyNAbind. "We’re proud to partner with Dr. Hritz and CEITEC to find and optimize drug hits for these fascinating proteins."

"My motivation to enter a collaboration with DyNaBind company comes from our earlier discussions about the extraordinary potential of their DNA-Encoded Library for drug discovery and optimization," comments Hritz. "The identified molecules would present a wide range of applications not only in academic but also in the pharmaceutical sector. It is also very motivating for me and our students to see how our research gains practical application and that their own findings can directly help, for example, in the formulation of disease treatment," adds Hritz.

About DyNAbind

DyNAbind GmbH is a biotech company based in Dresden, Germany, offering a next-generation platform of DNA-Encoded Library (DEL) technologies for drug discovery and optimization. DyNAbind’s founders have years of experience in developing and working with DEL technologies, which has driven the development of their novel Dynamic Library platform.

By specifically tuning a DNA architecture for transient interactions, fragment molecules in the library dynamically self-assemble and rearrange themselves into ideal binding structures, offering dramatically improved signal-to-noise ratios and reduced false positive hit rates. Follow-up quantitative hit validation can begin without the need for hit resynthesis, allowing meaningful results to arrive in days instead of months.

DyNAbind’s team is dedicated to working with our partners to develop and implement the most effective discovery and optimization programs for any drug target. Whether your program is coming from the pharma, biotech or academic sector, we’re motivated to help you find the best path to higher-quality, more relevant medicinal chemistry starting points.

About CEITEC

CEITEC (the Central European Institute of Technology) is a unique research centre focusing primarily on the fields of life sciences, advanced materials and nanotechnologies. Since its establishment in 2011, CEITEC has quickly developed into a cutting-edge infrastructure for research which performs highly alongside the best institutes in Europe. Among the main priorities of CEITEC are the promotion of a motivating and dynamic international scientific environment, the provision of state-of-the-art research infrastructure, and the policy of open communication and equal opportunities.