Roche signs $1bn peptide deal with Aileron
pharmafile | August 25, 2010 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Aileron, Roche, peptide, stapled peptide therapeutics
Roche has entered an agreement with a US biopharma company Aileron Therapeutics to develop and commercialise drugs called Stapled Peptide Therapeutics.
This new class can penetrate cells throughout the body and modulate protein-protein interactions – the control points for most human diseases.
Their potential advantage is that they could be used to treat conditions presently considered ‘undruggable’.
Roche will guarantee at least $25 million in technology access fees and R&D support to Aileron – and the US company could be in line for up to $1.1 billion if all milestones are hit.
Drug candidates will be aimed at up to five as yet undisclosed targets in some or all of the following therapy areas: oncology, virology, inflammation, metabolism and CNS.
“Stapled Peptides represent a potentially transformative new technology to create drugs for important disease targets,” said Jean-Jacques Garaud, global head of Roche pharma research and early development.
Founded in 2005 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Aileron’s main interests are in cancer, infectious disease, metabolic disease and immune/inflammatory diseases.
The company’s peptide stabilisation technology is the key to its operations and Aileron will receive royalties on future sales for any products that arise from the tie-up.
Aileron’s platform ‘locks’ peptides into their biologically active shape, mimicking the structures found in nature.
The company says this process means the peptide ends up with drug-like properties including efficient cell penetration, improved pharmacokinetics and high-affinity binding to large target protein surfaces.
“This alliance with Roche validates the broad potential for our Stapled Peptide platform across multiple therapeutic areas and classes of targets and also provides Aileron with capital to advance our platform and internal drug development pipeline,” said Aileron chief executive Joseph A. Yanchik.
He said the company had several opportunities for its first industry collaboration, but chose the Swiss manufacturer “because of its history with peptide therapeutics and its commitment to tackling difficult disease targets”.
In preclinical studies, Stapled Peptides have been shown to possess in vivo stability and cell permeability.
Adam Hill
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