Zielbio, Inc.

8月29日，麦肯锡公司人员发布了一篇文章，主要分析了专注于大分子药物发现的AI公司格局，并概述了AI如何应用于大分子药物发现。doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41573-023-00139-0此前，在AI辅助药物研发阶段小分子一直走在大分子的前面，但随着技术的发展，AI越来越多的应用于抗体、基因疗法等。同时在肿瘤领域，预计2030年大分子药物将占据市场收入的50%，其中预计80%以上来自抗体药。目前，AI在大分子药发现中的应用包括结构预测、功能预测和新候选药物生成等方面。结构预测如AlphaFold2；功能预测如机器学习模型、计算模型、深度学习方法等。Discovery pipeline for antibody therapeutics, highlighting where traditional in silico methods and AI tools have accelerated progression.经分析，目前从事大分子药物设计的AI制药公司共82家，其中60以上的公司是在过去5年内成立的，这也体现了近几年在技术进步的推动下AI制药的发展。同时，一些成熟的制药公司正在通过收购、投资或合作等方式增强AI辅助大分子药物发现的能力，如基因泰克2021年收购Prescient Design（将机器学习应用于抗体发现）。合作事件也从2016年的10项上升至2021年的51项，如BigHat Biosciences（抗体发现）与安进、AbCellera（抗体发现）与艾伯维、MAbSilico（抗体发现）与OSE Immunotherapeutics之间的合作。就募资情况来看，2021年达到高点，共募资39亿美元，其中有27亿美元为VC投资。而2022年大幅下滑至7亿美元。比较值得注意的是，两家专注于抗体发现的公司AbCellera和Absci在2020年和2021年分别IPO募资5.55亿美元和2亿美元。专注于蛋白药物发现的公司Generate Biomedicines在2021年B轮融资3.7亿美元。从产品线情况来看，这些AI公司管线还处于早期阶段，其中有三项管线已进入II期：Evaxion 正在开发一种基于多肽的个性化癌症免疫疗法，用于治疗转移性黑色素瘤；ZielBio 正在开发一种针对实体瘤的 plectin 单克隆抗体；PharmCADD 正在开发一种候选 mRNA 疫苗，用于治疗 SARS-CoV-2。此外，还有三项资产处于I期： Peptilogics的多肽抗生素用于治疗假体周围关节感染；SparX Therapeutics的claudin 18.2 单克隆抗体用于治疗胃癌；PharmCADD 公司的另一种 mRNA 疫苗用于治疗 SARS-CoV-2。在临床前管线中，AI驱动的生物技术公司主要的开发方向是肿瘤学领域，共有8款药物。就疗法而言，临床前开发中的 RNA 疗法和多肽疗法（约占所有分子的 50%）多于抗体疗法。这可能是由于抗体设计的复杂性较高，而且缺乏可用于训练机器学习工具的功能数据。就目前情况来看，AI在大分子药物开发中的应用在逐渐增多，但大规模的应用还具有挑战。要实现AI在该领域的潜力，需要解决几个要素。首先，必须将AI模型充分融入研究过程，并对研究科学家进行适当的能力建设。通过这样做，公司可以快速训练和验证机器学习算法，同时还能克服人工智能工作中潜在的 "孤岛 "问题。例如，在使用大型语言模型对抗体亲和力进行高通量预测时，通过综合研究系统及时进行体外验证，将进一步训练和提高硅学模型的性能。其次，必须建立技术环境，如复杂的数据工程管道（整合公共和内部数据并能够自动标记）、合适的计算基础设施以及源系统建模环境的整合。这样，企业就能以一定的速度训练和完善人工智能模型，为下一次实验提供信息并加以改进。最后，需要将人工智能技术结合到药物发现之外的整个研发过程中，如试验设计和患者亚群识别等领域，以进一步提高试验效率和成功概率。细胞系产品查询投稿丨商务合作加入交流群往期推荐石药集团生物药技术平台及管线梳理减肥赛道竞争格局：一大波减肥药即将来袭荣昌生物Hibody双抗平台及ADC专利点击下方“药研网”，关注更多精彩内容

GHENT, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Confo Therapeutics, a leader in the discovery of medicines targeting G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), today announced the appointment of Dieter Weinand as Independent Chairman of its Board of Directors. Mr. Weinand brings with him a wealth of experience with more than 35 years in the pharmaceutical industry and over 25 years as the leader of geographic and strategic business units and drug commercialization efforts across global organizations, including several years as the President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Bayer Pharmaceuticals AG. He joins Confo as the company advances its pipeline and continues to leverage its proprietary GPCR drug discovery engine. Mr. Weinand succeeds John Berriman, who is retiring from his current position as Chairman of Confo's Board of Directors. “Dieter is an exceptional leader in the pharmaceutical industry with a proven track record across the spectrum of research and development to commercialization, bringing impactful medications to patients. A chairman of his caliber will be invaluable as we continue progressing as an organization with a truly innovative GPCR-targeting technology and a growing pipeline of novel drug candidates,” said Cedric Ververken, CEO of Confo Therapeutics. “On behalf of the Confo team, I sincerely thank John Berriman for his guidance over the past seven years and his contributions to Confo’s growth into a clinical-stage drug development company.” “Confo is moving on an exciting trajectory, harnessing the momentum of a pivotal agreement with Eli Lilly for its first clinical program, CFTX-1554, and building out a robust pipeline of large and small molecules based on its unique platform,” added Dieter Weinand, Independent Chairman. “I look forward to working together with the Confo team to advance the company through its next stages of growth and to achieve its future strategic business and pipeline objectives.” Mr. Weinand has had a highly successful career across all areas of pharmaceutical development, commercialization, and international organizational leadership. Most recently, he was Head of Global Primary Care Business at Sanofi where he led the optimization of the company’s portfolios. Before this, he was President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board of Bayer Pharmaceuticals AG, where he was responsible for integrating the R&D, manufacturing, and all commercial and support functions of the healthcare business of the Bayer AG corporation. Mr. Weinand held various senior management positions across international corporations including at Bristol-Meyers Squibb and Pfizer. He has been instrumental in the launch and marketing of some of the industry’s pivotal products including Lipitor®, Neurontin®, Abilify® and Cipro®. Mr. Weinand holds a B.A. in Biology from Concordia College, New York, and an M.S. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Long Island University, New York. Mr. Weinand is Chairman of the Board of Nasdaq-listed Replimune (REPL), FORE Biotherapeutics, and ZielBio, among others. About Confo Therapeutics Confo Therapeutics is the only GPCR company with a proprietary discovery engine that precisely targets desired GPCR conformations. This unique capability allows us to unlock a vast untapped potential for the discovery and development of breakthrough medicines. We are advancing a robust pipeline of large and small molecules focused on validated targets in endocrine and metabolic diseases, as well as addressing a broader array of critical unmet medical needs in collaboration with our partners. Our team of accomplished experts is dedicated to advancing our patent protected technology, expanding our capabilities, and building out our pipeline in order to achieve the best possible therapeutic outcomes for patients. For more information, visit View source version on businesswire.com: Contacts Confo Therapeutics Dr. Cedric Ververken, CEO +32 (0) 9 396 74 00 Email: info@confotherapeutics.com Trophic Communications Valeria Fisher or Desmond James + 49 (0) 175 8041816 or +49 (0) 1516 7859086 Email: confo@trophic.eu Source: Confo Therapeutics View this news release online at:

ZB131 is a first-in-class humanized monoclonal antibody targeting cancer-specific plectin (CSP), which is expressed on the surface of cancer cells in solid tumors Interim data demonstrates safety and tolerability of ZB131 while providing evidence of clinical activity in a proportion of patients with difficult-to-treat tumors CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., June 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ZielBio, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company discovering new treatments for cancer and other serious diseases, will present the first set of clinical data from its lead asset, ZB131, directed against cancer-specific plectin (CSP), during the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. In an interim analysis (n=32) of the Phase 1/2 trial, ZB131 demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile, evidence of clinical activity and dose-proportional pharmacokinetics. Dr. David Sommerhalder, principal investigator at NEXT Oncology in San Antonio, Texas, will present the data in a poster session (board 281) on Saturday, June 3 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm in poster Hall A at Chicago's McCormick Place. The ZB131 clinical trial (trial identifier NCT05074472) is a Phase 1/2, first-in-human, open-label, dose escalation study of ZB131 in tumors likely to express CSP. The primary objective of the dose escalation phase was to evaluate the safety and tolerability of ZB131 as a monotherapy. Having established safe dosing levels, the study began enrolling expansion cohorts treating patients with either ZB131 at 30 mg/kg as a monotherapy or ZB131 at 15 mg/kg in combination with gemcitabine. "The initial safety, pharmacokinetics and clinical activity from the Phase 1/2 trial, combined with preclinical evidence that ZB131 binds selectively to CSP, rapidly internalizes, and can be conjugated to cytotoxic payloads, validates our efforts to further develop ZB131, including as an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)," said Alan Bash, CEO of ZielBio. "CSP is a highly promising target given its cell surface expression in malignant tissue and lack of presence in healthy tissue across multiple solid tumors, and ZielBio is leading the field of research into this target." About ZielBio ZielBio is a clinical stage biotechnology company that identifies novel disease targets and develops therapeutic interventions to improve patient outcomes. Its proprietary drug discovery platform ZielFind combines the power of functional, high throughput screening with large content data analytics to identify high value targets. ZielBio has a promising pipeline of therapies and targets, including novel lead asset ZB131 (proposed international nonproprietary name Ibentatug), a proprietary humanized monoclonal antibody against cancer-specific plectin. The company's clinical trial of ZB131 is open and enrolling with additional study details available at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05074472). SOURCE ZielBio, Inc.