(i) Study shows the generation of a high-quality stereo- and regiodefined DNA-encoded chemical library - (ii) Identified ligands against tumor-associated antigens can serve as vehicles for pharmacodelivery applications

SIENA, ITALY / ACCESSWIRE / April 12, 2021 / Philogen S.p.A., a listed clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of innovative medicines based on tumor-targeting antibodies and small molecule ligands, is pleased to announce a publication describing the construction of a DNA-encoded chemical library (DEL) that was successfully screened against multiple protein targets, yielding potent and selective small molecule binders against disease-relevant antigens. The paper entitled 'Stereo- and regiodefined DNA-encoded chemical libraries enable efficient ligand discovery for conditional CAR-T-cell activation and tumour targeting' was published in the prestigious, peer-reviewed journal Nature Chemistry and the underlying work was a result of the successful collaboration between scientists at Philochem AG, the Swiss subsidiary of Philogen, and ETH Zurich.

By constructing a high-quality stereo- and regiodefined DNA-encoded chemical library, ligands against tumor markers could be identified and validated using various orthogonal analytical methodologies.

This work underlines the potential of the DEL technology for ligand discovery with a special emphasis on the discovery of binding molecules that could potentially serve as vehicles for pharmacodelivery applications or as inhibitors of biologically relevant targets.

Dario Neri, Chief Executive Officer of Philogen commented: 'The DEL technology is getting closer and closer to the performance of another class of encoded libraries (i.e., antibody phage display technology), which has been practiced by the Philogen group for many years. Small molecule ligands isolated from DEL libraries exhibit antibody-like performance, they work in ELISA methodologies, and they can recognize their target with potency in the nanomolar concentration range.'

The article can be accessed from the Nature Chemistry website under the following link.

About Philogen

Philogen is a Swiss-Italian clinical-stage biotechnology company listed on the Italian Stock Exchange. It is engaged in the discovery and development of novel pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical products. Philogen's strategy is to deliver bioactive agents, for example cytokines or drugs, to the site of disease using antibodies and other ligands that specifically and efficiently target stromal antigens. This technology has generated a strong proprietary pipeline of clinical-stage products and preclinical compounds in an array of disease indications. Philogen is headquartered in Siena, Italy, and has research activities at its subsidiary company Philochem near Zurich, Switzerland. Philogen has signed agreements with several major pharmaceutical companies. For more information, please visit www.philogen.com and www.philochem.com.

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SOURCE: Philogen S.p.A.