Transcription factors are central regulators of gene expression that are commonly deregulated in cancer and have emerged as a promising class of therapeutic targets. However, targeting transcription factors through small-molecule inhibitors remains notoriously difficult. QUANTRO’s unique drug discovery platform combines genome engineering, chemical genetics, and innovative gene expression profiling to develop novel therapeutics that interfere with aberrant transcriptional programs.
Prof. Norbert Kraut, Global Head of Cancer Research at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: “Transforming cancer care takes a diversity of minds. Therefore, we are excited about partnering with QUANTRO on oncogenic transcription factors. Development of smallmolecule inhibitors for this target class is truly challenging due to their frequent lack of enzymatic activity and ligandable pockets. QUANTRO’s innovative drug discovery approach tackles this important protein family in a new way and has the potential to deliver drug candidates that overcome the barriers of drugging important cancer drivers that so far remain inaccessible to targeted therapies.”
Dr. Dieter Nachtigall, Chief Executive Officer of QUANTRO, said: “After establishing QUANTRO’s drug discovery pipeline and demonstrating the superior sensitivity and specificity of our time-resolved transcriptomics assay, we are delighted to work with Boehringer Ingelheim over the next three years to identify and develop drug candidates targeting transcription factors in cancer. This collaboration and our interaction with the highly committed oncology team of Boehringer Ingelheim will boost our efforts to develop novel therapies interfering with transcriptional regulators.”
QUANTRO is entitled to receive up-front payments, research and development support, milestone payments as well as royalties on products resulting from the collaboration. Financial details were not disclosed. QUANTRO retains all rights to its technology platform and to internal and proprietary drug discovery programs targeting different cancer-associated transcription factors.
Contact
QUANTRO Therapeutics GmbH
Dr. Dieter Nachtigall, CEO
Mail: dieter.nachtigall(at)quantro-tx.com
www.quantro-tx.com
Media Contact
MC Services AG
Katja Arnold, Andreas Jungfer, Shaun Brown
Phone: +49 89 210228 0
quantro(at)mc-services.eu
About QUANTRO Therapeutics GmbH
QUANTRO Therapeutics (“QUANTRO”) is a drug discovery company focused on developing novel therapeutics interfering with disease-causing transcriptional programs in cancer and other diseases. QUANTRO’s goal is to build a highly innovative drug discovery pipeline that employs time-resolved RNA sequencing and comparative transcriptomics to identify and develop drug candidates interfering with transcriptional regulators. The first area of focus will be on cancer-associated transcription factors, which so far have been unamenable to pharmacologic intervention. QUANTRO is a spin-off of the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (“IMBA”) and the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (“IMP”), both located in Vienna, Austria. Seed investors are the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and Evotec. www.quantro-tx.com