Gain Therapeutics Announces Multi-Target Drug Discovery Collaboration Agreement with Zentalis Pharmaceuticals

 Source: Gain Therapeutics, Inc. 4/20/2021

Collaboration to use Gain’s proprietary Site-Directed Enzyme Enhancement Therapy (SEE-Tx™) computational platform technology to identify new and previously difficult-to-drug oncology targets

Gain Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GANX) (“Gain”) today announced a multi-target collaboration agreement with Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ZNTL) to discover new product candidates for the treatment of cancer. Gain will use its proprietary SEE-Tx computational platform technology to identify new sites on target proteins for potential use in oncology. SEE-Tx applies a proprietary computational algorithm and supercomputer processing to the published 3D structure of proteins to discover new binding sites with the ability to modulate protein function. The intended output is newly-discovered targets or target protein interactions that can then be drugged for therapeutic benefit to intervene on protein misfolding.

“We are pleased to enter into a relationship with Zentalis, an oncology company at the forefront of developing differentiated treatments for patients,” said Eric Richman, Chief Executive Officer at Gain. “Our unique algorithm, based on a patented method to analyze molecular dynamics and powered by supercomputers, is designed to enable discovery of novel targets in various therapeutic areas. Zentalis’ team brings extensive industry experience and a proven track record in the discovery and clinical development of innovative cancer therapies, which will be beneficial as we work to further validate SEE-Tx for use in combating cancers and other devastating diseases. Together, we are looking forward to changing the way the industry thinks about drug discovery in oncology.”

Prof. Xavier Barril, Chief Scientific Officer of Gain, added, “Over the past several decades, the evidence linking protein misfolding and cancer has continued to grow, with chaperones that mediate protein folding being identified as critical modulators of proper cellular function. Of particular note, while most proteins have a half-life of one to two hours, many oncogenes have half-lives of just a few minutes, meaning that they are continually being synthesized, folded and degraded, offering significant opportunities for misfolding. We are excited to collaborate with Zentalis with its promising pipeline of oncology therapeutic candidates. Zentalis sees the potential of our SEE-Tx platform technology to address this challenge in cancer.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Gain will pursue binding site identification on target proteins that will be selected and agreed upon by both parties. Next, Gain will identify and determine the potential suitability of these sites as drug targets, as well as their prospective therapeutic use. Selected compounds will be tested in the lab by Zentalis against the target protein to confirm binding and action to identify and characterize novel compounds for development.

About SEE-Tx™

SEE-Tx is the first proprietary technology platform exclusively designed use the 3D structure of proteins to systematically identify allosteric binding sites never described previously and predict their druggability. Powered by supercomputers, its novel algorithm orchestrates molecular modeling at a speed and efficiency that has the potential to redefine drug discovery.

About Gain Therapeutics, Inc.
Gain Therapeutics, Inc. is redefining drug discovery with its SEE-Tx™ target identification platform. By identifying and optimizing allosteric binding sites that have never before been targeted, Gain is unlocking new treatment options for difficult-to-treat disorders characterized by protein misfolding. Gain was established in 2017 with the support of its founders and institutional investors. It has been awarded funding support from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) and The Silverstein Foundation for Parkinson’s with GBA, as well as from the Eurostars-2 joint program with co-funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 research and Innosuisse. In July 2020, Gain Therapeutics, Inc. completed a share exchange with Gain Therapeutics, SA, a Swiss corporation, whereby GT Gain Therapeutics SA became a wholly owned subsidiary of Gain Therapeutics, Inc.