By Gabrielle Mostello
Novo Nordisk and Gensaic formed a license and discovery collaboration on Monday to develop cardiometabolic therapeutics against undisclosed targets. Gensaic will use its AI-enabled protein design technology engine, Functional Optimization by Recursive Genetic Evolution (FORGE), to discover ligands capable of tissue-selective intracellular delivery.
The deal could net Gensaic up to US$354 million between upfront payments and development and commercial milestones, plus tiered royalties. Novo has also agreed to reimburse R&D expenses, participate in an upcoming financing round for Gensaic, and have one of its executives join Gensaic’s board of directors as a non-voting member.
“Combining Gensaic’s groundbreaking FORGE engine with Novo Nordisk’s therapeutic and market insights creates powerful new opportunities,” said Gensaic president and CEO Lavi Erisson. The collaboration will speed up the development of Gensaic’s pipeline and enhance its protein modeling capabilities, he added.
Tissue-targeting tech
Delivering drugs to specific areas of the body can boost treatment efficacy and minimise adverse effects; however, researchers have struggled to target organs outside of the liver. Gensaic noted that in order to accomplish this, new biological mechanisms for drug delivery to selected tissues or cell types is necessary.
Gensaic’s FORGE technology engine merges unbiased protein screening with generative AI to chart protein interactions; the information is then used to determine where molecules travel in the body.
“Tissue targeting has so much potential — both in terms of the modalities that can be leveraged, but also for the diseases that can be addressed,” said head of Novo Nordisk’s Bio Innovation Hub Uli Stilz. “Gensaic’s technology brings a novel approach, with the ability to screen tissue targeting ligands in an unbiased way.”
“By coupling Gensaic’s technology with our team’s deep understanding of disease and drug development, we have the potential to reach challenging targets, while increasing efficacy and reducing potential side effects,” he concluded.
Novo is also currently working with Valo Health to search for novel cardiometabolic targets. Last month, the companies expanded their partnership to include up to nine new drug programmes, including those focused on obesity and type 2 diabetes.
