New drug targets identified for development

RNS Number : 0678D

C4X Discovery Holdings PLC

04 July 2016

 

C4X Discovery Holdings plc

("C4XD" or the "Company")

C4X Discovery identifies multiple new drug targets for development

~ Rapid progress with drug discovery portfolio and ground-breaking findings in inflammation and neurodegeneration ~

4 July, 2016 - C4X Discovery Holdings plc (AIM: C4XD), an innovative drug discovery and development company, today announces the identification of multiple new drug targets in the areas of inflammation and neurodegeneration.

This represents the first major output from C4XD's proprietary genetic analysis platform, Taxonomy3®, since it was acquired with Adorial Limited in March 2016, and demonstrates the speed with which it can be used to identify highly novel therapeutic targets across a range of unmet medical areas. Taxonomy3® is a unique mathematical tool that analyses publicly available databases to identify previously unknown linkages between genes and disease pathways, thereby highlighting targets with a strong causal role across a variety of disorders. C4XD acquired Taxonomy3® to provide it with a platform for discovering proprietary targets for screening with its existing conformational design technology ("Conformetrix") to generate new drug molecules and today's news allows the Company to expand its portfolio to areas of high unmet medical need such as Rheumatoid Arthritis and Parkinson's disease. In more detail:

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Analysis of the publicly available Wellcome Trust's Rheumatoid Arthritis dataset identified multiple novel targets that have not previously been genetically linked with this major disease. The targets are from protein families whose function suggests that any resulting drug molecules will have a very different biological impact on disease from that of existing rheumatoid arthritis therapies, enabling considerable therapeutic and commercial differentiation. C4XD has already prioritised two of these drug targets for evaluation as potential new pipeline programmes. Both targets are amenable to drug screening using C4XD's Conformetrix technology and C4XD aims to have identified first hits for the first of these targets within 3 months.

Parkinson's disease 

Analysis of the Wellcome Trust's publicly available Parkinson's disease dataset identified multiple novel targets in discrete patient sub-groups that could potentially provide an opportunity in stratified medicine.  C4XD is extending this analysis by examining an additional dataset that contains clinical phenotype descriptions to be used in combination with the genetic stratification. Once this analysis is complete, novel targets for progression will be selected and linked to a specific subgroup of Parkinson's patients.

Commenting on the announcement, Chief Executive Officer, Clive Dix said: "The rapid progress we have made in the past few months demonstrates the potential of the enlarged C4XD platform to generate genetically validated targets in therapeutic areas of high unmet medical need that should have a significantly higher probability of clinical success. C4XD is already seeing the benefits of combining Taxonomy3® with Conformetrix as it allows us to expand the pipeline and accelerate progress towards our aim of becoming the world's most productive drug discovery and development company."

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For further information please contact:

C4X Discovery Holdings plc

Clive Dix, Chief Executive Officer                                                                                            07801 865803

Zeus Capital Limited

Dan Bate                                                                                                                                             0161 393 1973

Dominic Wilson/Phil Walker                                                                                                      0203 829 5000

Consilium Strategic Communications

Mary-Jane Elliott, Chris Gardner, Matthew Neal, Melissa Gardiner                          0203 709 5700 

About C4X Discovery

C4X Discovery aims to become the world's most productive drug discovery and development company by exploiting cutting-edge technologies to design and create best-in-class drug candidates. The Company has two proprietary and synergistic software platforms "Taxonomy3®" and "Conformetrix" that provide a significant competitive advantage when combined with an experienced management team. "Taxonomy3®" is a human genetics analysis platform that utilises a unique mathematical approach to discovery and validation of drug targets for the treatment of a variety of diseases. "Conformetrix" determines the 3D shape of drug molecules from experimental in vitro data that enables the rapid design and discovery of novel and potent drugs for diseases with high unmet medical need across broad therapeutic areas. We have a hybrid business model of wholly-owned programmes and partnerships with pharma, biotech and academics.

The Company was founded in 2008 as a spin-out from the University of Manchester and has a highly experienced management team and Board who have delivered significant value creation within the healthcare sector historically. For additional information please go to: www.c4xdiscovery.com

 

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