ChemDiv, Context Therapeutics, and Torrey Pines Investment Announce Co-Development Agreement
Sigma1 is a high-value oncology and neurodegenerative disease target
Together, the partners will run the first ever high-throughput Sigma1 screen
SAN DIEGO, November 15, 2017 – ChemDiv Inc., a fully integrated California-based CRO, announced that it has entered into a three-way co-development agreement with Context Therapeutics and Torrey Pines Investment to advance research and development in the area of Sigma1 dysfunction associated with early onset neurodegenerative diseases. Under the terms of the collaboration, ChemDiv will grant Context the access to its unique integrated discovery platform, while Torrey Pines Investment invests in Context and provides network resources to support pre-commercial research and development.
Context has been engaged in the advancement of an alternative approach to treatment of various diseases in the fields of oncology and neurology that targets Sigma1 – an essential regulator of mechanisms and pathways of cellular protein homeostasis, trafficking, and immune system regulation. Within the framework of this partnership, ChemDiv will capitalize on its comprehensive resources and extensive experience in modern drug discovery to help Context expand its pipeline of treatments against Sigma1 mutations that are associated with severe early onset neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS and Alzheimer’s.
“Sigma1 provides a very exciting new R&D target that could offer an alternative to those patents whose needs cannot be met with existing treatments,” comments Martin Lehr, Co-Founder and CEO at Context Therapeutics. “We are looking forward to the fruits of this collaboration, and hope that our collective efforts will streamline the development of a potent cure for Sigma1 associated neurodegenerative diseases around the globe.”
“We at ChemDiv are happy to be involved in such a multifaceted project, where we can really put our R&D capabilities to use and help our partners accelerate from target ID to lead optimization and beyond,” adds Rouslan Michtchenko, Sr. Director Business Development at ChemDiv. “Our aim here is to fully utilize our accelerated platform and expertise in drug discovery to deliver quality leads to our partners.”
Ron Demuth, President of Torrey Pines Investment commented “In this collaboration, Torrey Pines Investment is investing in Context’s very promising CNS project based on significantly de-risked active molecules in the framework of a proven risk-share collaborative platform that consistently delivers cost-effective R&D results from the partners’ joint potential. This investment is a bet on the Context team and a bet on ChemDiv as a proven outsource leader. Our role in this deal is as investment partner plus - we are also committed to adding value via our product knowledge, network, and execution expertise to help drive this collaboration to its ultimate goal of developing a novel safe and efficient treatment for Sigma1-related CNS indications.”