Witney-based E-therapeutics' reports success for drug discovery platform

Published by

Nicky Godding

Computational drug discovery company, E-therapeutics plc, which is based at Long Hanborough near Witney, has reached a key milestone in its collaboration with European biotech Galapagos NV.

The collaboration with Galapagos has achieved the goal of successfully identifying potential therapeutic strategies in a specific area of biology associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF – a condition in which the lungs become scarred and breathing becomes increasingly difficult), and potentially other fibrotic indications.

e-therapeutics has now achieved all pre-agreed near-term milestones.

Under the terms of the agreement, e-therapeutics is eligible to receive additional milestone payments through pre-clinical and clinical development, regulatory as well as commercial milestones. The Company also remains free to explore partnering opportunities in all other areas of biology relating to IPF and fibrosis.

Ali Mortazavi, Chief Executive Officer of e-therapeutics, said: "We are delighted to report significant progress on our collaboration with Galapagos, focused on the identification of both targets and small molecules in IPF. This constitutes further recognition of the impact of our computational platform in an area of high unmet medical need. Our proprietary drug discovery platform can unlock indications, therapeutic areas and mechanisms that are challenging to carry out discovery in and shed light on complex human biology, significantly increasing the efficiency of the R&D process at the foundational stages."

Galapagos discovers, develops and commercialises small molecule medicines with novel modes of action. Its first medicine is approved and available to patients in Europe and Great Britain for rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis, and in Japan (under a collaboration with Gilead) for rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis.

This latest news follows last week's announcement by e-therapeutics that it has also entered into a research collaboration agreement with iTeos Therapeutics, Inc. The collaboration will focus on the discovery of novel therapeutic approaches and targets in immuno-oncology.

Under the terms of the agreement, e-therapeutics will receive upfront cash payments and will also be eligible to receive undisclosed milestone payments through pre-clinical and clinical development, in addition to regulatory milestones per programme.

The collaboration will combine key expertise from both companies, including e-therapeutics' computational platform and iTeos' proprietary assays. iTeos is a leader in the immuno-oncology space developing next-generation therapies for patients with cancer.

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.