Orbit Discovery Limited (Orbit), a leader in the discovery of therapeutic peptide hits, today announced it has entered into a Master Service Agreement with SanegeneBio Inc., (Sanegene), a start-up company dedicated to developing novel RNAi-based medicines. The focus of the collaboration is to identify tissue-specific delivery of a wide range of RNA therapeutics to efficiently knock down disease-causing genes.The agreement covers activities ranging from hit ID to cell-based internalisation studies, with an option for Sanegene to further develop the hits resulting from the screening activities. Through the collaboration with Orbit, Sanegene is looking to develop a portfolio of advanced RNAi therapeutics.Orbit’s proprietary technology enables the screening of large libraries of peptides using a combination of DNA encoded libraries and bead-based presentation. The peptide display engine is uniquely able to address soluble targets and targets in situ, both on and in cells, allowing for significantly faster discovery times of relevant peptide leads based on affinity screens and/or functional screens.
Dr. Neil Butt, Chief Executive Officer of Orbit Discovery, commented:“Sanegene has established an incredible ability to screen for RNAi molecules in a robust and efficient manner. We are delighted to leverage the speed and performance of the Orbit platform to enable Sanegene to generate specific targeting peptides. “This collaboration is further validation of our platform and adds to an expanding portfolio of partners that benefit from combining our technologies with our insight in the drug discovery process. Our aim is to make screening more relevant to the final biological read-outs, to ensure the right leads are selected first time, every time. This has the end goal of enabling the generation of future therapeutics with low toxicity and tissue specificity and ultimately, safer and more effective medicines.”
Dr. Weimin Wang, Chief Executive Officer of SanegeneBio, said:“Orbit has developed an impressive platform technology that is ideal for our requirements. We selected Orbit as our discovery partner because of the team’s experience in overcoming peptide screening challenges alongside an industry-leading platform. We are confident that the combination of Orbits’ peptide discovery capabilities and our expertise in RNAi drug discovery and development will facilitate the accelerated entry of our therapeutics portfolio into the clinic.”
Dr. Neil Butt, Chief Executive Officer of Orbit, will be at the 41st Annual J.P.Morgan Healthcare Conference, 9–13 January 2022, San Francisco, CA. For further information, please visit: https://www.orbitdiscovery.com
About Orbit Discovery Orbit Discovery (Orbit) is a biologics discovery services company, focussed on peptides and small antibody-like scaffold proteins. The Company’s proprietary platform is a novel bead-based, DNA encoded, discovery technology that utilises microfluidics for high throughput functional or affinity screening. The platform has several benefits over other technologies, such as phage and ribosomal display, with the ability to screen directly on cell surfaces as well as perform cell based functional assays directly on libraries. Orbit’s platform is ideal for finding targeting peptides specifically for nucleic acids or radio-biopharmaceuticals delivery, components of molecular glues and PROTACs, and functional molecules against GPCRs. Orbit is based in Oxford, UK and benefits from the expertise and experience of its founders, Professor Graham Ogg (University of Oxford) and Professor Terry Rabbits (the Institute of Cancer Research).For more information, please visit www.orbitdiscovery.comFollow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/orbit-discovery
About SanegeneBio: SanegeneBio is an RNA therapeutic start-up company dedicated to developing novel RNAi-based medicines to improve life and address unmet medical needs worldwide. Founded in 2020, propelled by a team of industry-leading experts, Sanegene’s cutting-edge delivery technologies and discovery platform enables tissue-specific delivery of a wide range of RNA therapeutics to efficiently knock down disease-causing genes. Sanegene’s fast-growing RNAi portfolio covers a broad range of therapeutic areas including cardio-metabolic diseases, infectious diseases, central nervous system and ocular diseases, immune disorders, and cancer. With technical operations in both the US and China, the Sanegene Team strives for scientific innovation, operational excellence and is committed to creating transformational RNA medicines to change the lives of patients and families.