German pharmaceutical company Bayer and US-based biotechnology company MOMA Therapeutics have entered a collaboration, focused on small molecule oncology therapeutics.
The two companies signed an option and exclusive license agreement to develop and market a small molecule oncology programme based on MOMA’s KNOMATIC platform.
Under the terms of the agreement, MOMA will receive an upfront payment and collaboration fee.
Also, the US company is eligible to receive additional near-term discovery, development, and commercial milestone payments, along with tiered royalties on net sales.
Bayer is responsible for completing further preclinical, development and commercial activities.
Bayer pharmaceuticals division business development and licensing head Juergen Eckhardt said: “We are excited to partner with MOMA Therapeutics to explore the untapped potential of highly dynamic proteins in oncology.
“This collaboration reinforces Bayer’s commitment to precision medicine while enhancing our ability to address significant unmet medical needs in cancer treatment.
“By leveraging MOMA’s cutting-edge technologies and our expertise, we aim to accelerate the development of innovative therapies that can make a meaningful difference in patients’ lives.”
MOMA Therapeutics is a clinical-stage precision medicine company that targets dynamic proteins underlying human disease through a small molecule approach.
Dynamic proteins represent a new emerging class of therapeutic targets that play important roles in disease progression.
Targeting these proteins through a small molecule approach enables the development of advanced cancer therapies and provides a novel strategy for addressing such diseases.
MOMA’s KNOMATIC platform exploits key vulnerabilities common to dynamic proteins, specifically their reliance on well-coordinated, stepwise changes in protein conformation.
Also, the platform integrates deep structural insights with advanced hit-finding technologies and lead optimisation to advance the discovery of therapeutics that target highly dynamic proteins.
MOMA CEO Asit Parikh said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Bayer to drug this disease-relevant target.
“Following our recent announcement highlighting the advancement of our wholly owned Pol theta and Werner programs, Bayer’s interest in this collaboration further highlights the power of our KNOMATIC platform and MOMA’s openness to creating win-win partnerships.”
Earlier this year, Bayer partnered with US-based biotechnology company NextRNA Therapeutics to develop new small molecule therapeutics for cancer.
