Cyclenium, Haplogen Ink Drug Discovery Pact

Cyclenium Pharma and Haplogen GmbH have signed a research agreement for the discovery of novel pharmaceutical candidates in multiple disease areas. The collaboration combines two next-gen drug discovery platforms: Cyclenium’s CMRT Technology-derived QUEST Library and associated hit-to-lead optimization, with Haplogen’s haploid genetics technology and expertise in host target identification, validation and screening. The companies will initially focus on certain anti-viral Haplogen targets, with other therapeutic indications being phased-in as the research progresses.

“We are extremely excited about the potential of this research collaboration with Haplogen, the leader in applying cutting-edge haploid genetics technology for drug discovery,” said Helmut Thomas, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Cyclenium Pharma. “It was immediately apparent to us that Haplogen’s proven expertise and success in identifying and characterizing novel host factors together with our proprietary CMRT macrocyclic chemistry technology would be a powerful combination for the discovery and development of new therapeutic agents.”

“Cyclenium’s proprietary macrocyclic library appears ideal for use against the challenging anti-viral and other targets identified using our haploid genetics platform,” said Georg Casari, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Haplogen. “We look forward to working with their experienced and successful research team in progressing our drug discovery programs.”