BPGbio, Inc., a leading biology-first, AI-powered, clinical stage biopharma focused on mitochondrial biology and protein homeostasis, today announced that Vivek K. Vishnudas, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer and R&D Site Head at BPGbio, will present on the company’s Protein Homeostasis program at the 15th Annual Drug Innovation Forum 2024. Dr. Vishnudas’ presentation, entitled “A Novel and Differentiated Approach to Targeted Protein Degradation - Leveraging the Ubiquitin Conjugating Enzyme (E2) Family,” will be part of the opening sessions on September 4 in Berlin, Germany.
The topic of Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD) has gained momentum in recent years as a strategy for modulating difficult-to-target proteins or protein targets that do not offer beneficial clinical outcomes from traditional small molecule inhibition. While conventional degraders harness E3 proteins to achieve degradation, recent advancements have demonstrated that E2 proteins—once thought to be challenging to target—can be potent effectors of TPD, opening new avenues for drug discovery. BPGbio’s TPD program focuses on targeting E2s, paving the way for the design of novel bifunctional degraders and monovalent glues.
“I am honored to present BPGbio’s first-in-class E2 program to fellow researchers and industry peers,” said Dr. Vishnudas. “We have a unique approach to drug design and we look forward to meeting with potential partners in the biopharma industry who want to join us in bringing our novel therapeutics to patients in need.”
In addition to utilizing E2s, the BPGbio’s protein homeostasis program features a proprietary library of more than 1,000 Ro3 fragments discovered by BPGbio that are potential ligands and seed compounds to a variety of E2 targets, proprietary ternary structures, a computational tool kit for E2 ligand design, and assays for rapidly attaining selectivity and specificity.
The BPGbio Protein Homeostasis program also includes E2-based molecular glue lead compounds for Huntingtin homeostasis.
The presentation will cover the following key topics:
- Ubiquitin Conjugating Enzymes are challenging to modulate pharmacologically using small molecules due to lack of druggable pockets
- Fragment Based Drug Design for the Modified (PTM)- E2 complex enabled discovery of first-in-class ligands
- Through E2 ligand extension and molecular design, efficacious bi-functional degraders have been developed for multiple proteins of interest
BPGbio’s therapeutic pipeline also includes drug candidates for glioblastoma (orphan drug), pancreatic cancer (orphan drug), primary CoQ10 deficiency, epidermolysis bullosa (EB, orphan drug), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC, orphan drug), sarcopenia, solid and liquid tumors, Huntington’s disease (orphan drug) and Parkinson's disease.
About BPGbio
BPGbio is a leading biology-first AI-powered clinical stage biopharma focused on mitochondrial biology and protein homeostasis. The company has a deep pipeline of AI-developed therapeutics spanning oncology, rare disease and neurology, including several in late-stage clinical trials. BPGbio’s novel approach is underpinned by NAi, its proprietary Interrogative Biology Platform, protected by over 400 US and international patents; one of the world’s largest clinically annotated non-governmental biobanks with longitudinal samples; and exclusive access to the most powerful supercomputer in the world. With these tools, BPGbio is redefining how patient biology can be modeled using bespoke Bayesian AI specifically designed for solving large-scale biology challenges. Headquartered in greater Boston, the company is at the forefront of a new era in medicine, combining biology, multi-modal data, and AI to transform the way we understand, diagnose, and treat disease. For more information, visit www.bpgbio.com.
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