Focus will be on conducting structure-guided drug design, lead optimization, and preclinical studies.
Aurigene Discovery Technologies has taken an option and exclusive worldwide license for the development and commercialization of Debiopharm’s research-stage cancer program Debio 1142. “The Debio 1142 project aims at developing inhibitors targeting a key oncology pathway that plays essential roles in various solid tumors, including resistance to chemotherapy,” says Rolland-Yves Mauvernay, Ph.D., president and founder of Debiopharm.
Further commenting on choosing Aurigene as a partner, Dr. Mauvernay says, “Their business model offers a one-stop solution for structure-guided drug design, lead optimization, and preclinical work.”
Based in Bangalore, Aurigene focuses on collaborative drug discovery with pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The company will leverage its fully integrated drug discovery infrastructure along with in-house structural biology and fragment-based drug design capabilities to study Debio 1142.
Debiopharm has three other oncology drugs at the research-stage, two in preclinical studies, and one in Phase I trials. The lead anticancer agent, Debio 0932, is an Hsp90 inhibitor. The company’s remaining clinical programs target HCV and chronic pain. Debio 025, a cyclophilin inhibitor, is in Phase II studies as a treatment for HCV. Novartis holds a worldwide license to this candidate, except in Japan.
Debio 025 is also a cyclophilin inhibitor. Debiopharm is studying this molecule as a therapy for HCV. Phase I trials in Japan are ongoing. Finally, Debio 0827, an enkephalinase inhibitor, is in Phase I pain studies.
