OTS - DEBIOPHARM EXTENDS THEIR DNA DAMAGE REPAIR FOOTPRINT WITH NEW ONCOLOGY PIPELINE ENTRY (part 1)
2023. March 02. 09:00
Lausanne, Switzerland, 2 March, 2023 (APA/OTS) - Debiopharm
obtains global rights from Novo Nordisk for the development of
their ubiquitin-specific protease 1 (USP1) inhibitor - Debiopharm
(www.debiopharm.com), an independent Swiss-based, biopharmaceutical
company aiming to develop tomorrow's standard-of-care treatments to
cure cancer and infectious diseases, today announced having
obtained the global rights for FT-3171, a small molecule USP1
inhibitor program targeting a novel DNA damage repair (DDR) pathway
from Novo Nordisk.
FT-3171 was developed by Forma Therapeutics, which was acquired
by Novo Nordisk in 2022, and is currently in late preclinical
development. FT-3171 (Debio 0432) could potentially be deployed to
combat multiple tumor types in poly ADP ribose pathway
inhibitor-sensitive and resistant settings.
This new pipeline entry will join WEE1-inhibitor Debio 0123,
reinforcing Debiopharm's commitment to improve cancer patients'
treatment response and to overcome treatment resistance to current
therapies. Through translational and eventual clinical
investigation, Debiopharm is poised to further apply their DDR
inhibitor expertise to efficiently advance the development of Debio
0432 with the ultimate aim of producing a novel therapy that
responds to unmet needs of cancer patients.
"In 2017, Debiopharm dove into the DDR inhibitor field, firstly
through its WEE1-inhibitor Debio 0123 and now through this
innovative asset, targeting USP1. We are eager to establish the
research necessary to bring this product to the clinical phase."
explained Angela Zubel, Chief Development Officer at Debiopharm.
"Leveraging the principle of synthetic lethality by inhibiting
the right DDR pathway targets to enable tumor cell destruction is
an emerging field that deserves further exploration, this target is
complementary with Debiopharm development pipeline like our ADC
programs or Debio 0123" mentioned Bertrand Ducrey, CEO, Debiopharm.
"We are thrilled about this licensing deal with Forma Therapeutics
and Novo Nordisk and evaluating the potential of this
USP1-inhibitor program."
About ubiquitin-specific protease 1 (USP1)
The USP family is one of the largest subfamily of
deubiquitinases (DUB).[1] Ubiquitin-specific protease 1 (USP1), in
particular, is a nucleus-localized enzyme and a well-established
component of DNA repair, acting both in the Fanconi Anemia pathway
(on FANCD2 and FANC1) and in translesion synthesis (TLS) on PCNA
(Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen) substrate. It catalyzes the
removal of specific monoubiquitin signals, is a critical regulator
of genome integrity and its dysfunction plays a key role in cancer
initiation and progression,[2-3] explaining why USP1 has recently
drawn special attention as cancer target. In addition, USP1 was
recently identified as a novel synthetic lethal interaction partner
with BRCA1 loss offering a good rationale for the investigation of
USP1 inhibitors in patient populations currently treated with PARP
inhibitors.[4] The potential of this class of new therapeutic
agents might however be exploited in further settings as
understanding of USP1 biology is progressing.[5]
Debiopharm's commitment to patients
Debiopharm aims to develop innovative therapies that target
high unmet medical needs in oncology and bacterial infections.
Bridging the gap between disruptive discovery products and
real-world patient reach, we identify high-potential compounds and
technologies for in-licensing, clinically demonstrate their safety
and efficacy, and then select large pharmaceutical
commercialization partners to maximize patient access globally.
For more information, please visit www.debiopharm.com
We are on Twitter. Follow us @DebiopharmNews at
http://twitter.com/DebiopharmNews
Debiopharm Contact
Dawn Bonine
Head of Communications
dawn.bonine@debiopharm.com
Tel: +41 (0)21 321 01 11
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