Oxford Drug Design achieves further in vivo validation of novel approach against multiple tumours
United Kingdom, January 2025 - Oxford Drug Design, the Oxford-based AI drug discovery company applying its pioneering AI platform to develop novel molecules against cancer and other major diseases, has successfully completed additional in vivo validation in its potential first-in-class approach against multiple tumours.
Results of the in vivo mouse colorectal cancer model study have shown 60% life extension, indicating clear efficacy and dose-response, while also maintaining an acceptable safety profile. These results have led to an expanded mouse study which is currently underway and showing positive progress.
The innovative approach is based on a novel target, leucyl-tRNA synthetase, belonging to the tRNA synthetase enzyme family on which Oxford Drug Design has developed a leading expertise. The new data demonstrates the potential of the Company’s innovative proprietary molecules to modulate the function of tRNA synthetases as a novel approach to cancer.
The highly innovative lead candidates are part of the Company’s extensive portfolio of proprietary novel chemical scaffolds which have shown broad activity against the non-canonical functions of the enzyme class.
Oxford Drug Design’s rapid advances have been enabled by its distinctive dual-competence discovery platform integrating its pioneering generative AI capabilities with tRNA synthetase expertise, including proprietary structural biology.
This is the Company’s second first-in-class therapeutic program achieving clear in vivo validation based on this discovery platform. Further, equally efficient expansions of this differentiated capability are already planned to other diseases areas with unmet need.
Dr Paul Finn, CSO of Oxford Drug Design, said:
Our leading integrated expertise in generative AI and tRNA-synthetase drug discovery continues to produce breakthrough novel lead series efficiently and effectively, of which the progress in our oncology programme is the latest example. Our rapidly advancing efforts are now focused on bringing this potentially superior first-in-class treatment into the clinic.
Dr Alan D. Roth, CEO of Oxford Drug Design, added:
This is a significant new milestone for Oxford Drug Design. It serves as testament not only to the accuracy and reliability of our computational platform, SynthAI, but also to the expertise of our team. We continue to produce innovative molecules fulfilling three key metrics: they possess the required biological activity against disease, can be made using known chemical processes, and can be produced at scale. This improved accuracy saves time, investment and resources, thus accelerating our drug candidates towards patients in need and their physicians.
