2018 Biotechnology Awards

GHP / Biotechnology Awards 2018 21 profit. As mandatory intracellular parasites, their replication is totally dependent on a variety of cellular functions. In order to exploit, inhibit or modify these cellular functions, viruses interact with cellular proteins of their host through their own viral proteins. “Our teams have created an exhaustive database gathering viral-human protein– protein interactions (PPI) mentioned in the literature. These interactomes are collected in a database called vINLANDdb (Virus Infection LANDscape data base).” “Thanks to these PPI knowledge, ENYO Pharma identifies key cellular proteins and evaluate them as potential therapeutic targets. As a result, small chemical molecules are created from viral peptide structures which are able to target the host proteins. This innovative approach, based on biomimetism using viruses as screening tools allows us to discover new cellular targets and develop drug candidates with new mode of action (so-called “first-in-class” molecules) in multiple indications. “In the last decade there has been growing awareness of the limited structural diversity in pharmaceutical company compound collections. A large proportion of compound collections for screening gives historical account of the company’s past drug development focus and also their focus on targets and enzymes considered tractable to inhibition with small molecules (e.g. GPCRs, Kinases, Proteases). Indeed, the process of developing a new drug is very time consuming, extremely costly and highly risky, with minimum chance of a successful outcome. “ENYO Pharma’s approach is agnostic about target identity or mode of action with only a bias towards PPI modulation. This makes the compound library a unique collection of chemical structures while there is a rising interest in PPIs as drug targets positions our concept at the forefront of state of the art to deliver valuable and novel therapeutics.” Looking to the future, ENYO Pharma has a number of exciting new initiatives in the pipeline which will allow it to enhance its understanding of this vital area of biopharmaceutical research, as Jacky concludes. “Currently we are working on two highly innovative and disruptive projects for diseases with a high unmet need (HBV and NASH). Longer term, thanks to our R&D discovery engine, we aim to bring other compounds in clinic such as our first in class mitochondrial drug – EYP002 – or our EU funded program MIMESIS, which is a scale up of our platform with many newly explored indications. We have designed a library of 10,000 small molecules and screened them in functional assays against 6 diseases with unmet medical needs in oncology, respiratory viral infections and neglected pathogens. Within 2 years, our goal is to design new therapeutic starting points and preclinical assets modulating novel human targets and ready for further development with potential partners. These developments will allow us to continue to offer a truly unique approach to researching viruses and their impact on disease, and this will remain our focus as we look towards a bright future.” Company: ENYO Pharma SA Contact: Jacky Vonderscher Address: Batiment Domilyon, 321 Avenue Jean Jaures, Lyon, 69007, France Phone: 0033 4 37 70 02 27 Website: www.enyopharma.com Mitochondrion, a membrane-enclosed cellular organelle which produces energy, 3D illustration