AUM Biosciences and Cyclica, Inc to partner under Project Nexus to propel drug discovery for cancer.
Singapore-based clinical-stage biotechnology company, AUM Biosciences focuses on early stage development of innovative treatment of cancers prevalent in Asia with the potential to address global markets. Harnessing the power of precision medicine and digitization, AUM Biosciences is dedicated to revolutionizing existing inefficient drug development methods.
In January 2020, AUM Bioscience announced its partnership with Cyclica, Inc. a Canada-based biotechnology company as part of Project Nexus to incorporate Cyclica’s proprietary drug discovery platform in AUM Bioscience’s research and development programs for early-stage discovery of novel cancer therapies.
Leveraging on each other’s expertise, AUM Biosciences will bring to the table its commitment to efficiently develop affordable cancer therapies and Cyclica’s artificial intelligence (AI) and computational biophysics to decentralize drug discovery.
Cancer still remains on of the leading causes of death worldwide, despite remarkable progress over the years, cancer still remains a major concern with one in every six deaths being related to cancer. The complex nature of cancer has left researchers with many challenges to face in developing effective and affordable cancer treatments using classical drug discovery approaches. This ultimately result in barriers due to affordability and availability of treatments and therapies that could potentially save many lives.
“The ability to delve deeper into complex medical outcomes enhances the potential for discovery and assessment of novel molecules while in the development stage, which reduces the risk of failure and expedites the process,” said Vishal Doshi, CEO of AUM Biosciences. “We are excited about this partnership with Cyclica, which will help us discover the undiscovered to address the needs of patients in Asia.”
In this partnership, AUM Biosciece will make use of its drug development expertise, including a biomarker-driven approach, while using Cyclica’s integrated AI-augmented and structure-based platfom, Ligand Design and Ligand Express, which together will design advanced lead-like molecules that minimize unwanted off-target effects while providing a holistic understanding of a molecule’s activity through integrated systems biology and structural pharmacogenomics.
“Cyclica’s goal is to decentralize the discovery of medicines by partnering with hyper innovative biotechs globally. We are impressed with AUM’s expertise in drug development and our shared passion for tackling disease areas that are among the most intricate and impactful,” says Cyclica’s President & CEO, Naheed Kurji.
Cyclica will receive an upfront payment as well as milestone payments upon the completion of specific stages for Project Nexus. AUM will maintain rights for future development and commercialization of drug assets resulting from Project Nexus. [APBN]