CHENGDU, China I November 27, 2017 I HitGen Ltd announced that the company has entered into a drug discovery research collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim to identify novel small molecule leads for targets of interest to Boehringer Ingelheim. In this collaboration, HitGen will apply its advanced technology platform, based on DNA-encoded library design, synthesis and screening, to discover novel leads for Boehringer Ingelheim. Under the terms of the agreement, HitGen will receive upfront payments, and be eligible for milestone payments from Boehringer Ingelheim. Specific financial details were not disclosed.

“We are delighted to enter this collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim, a major research based pharmaceutical company providing world-wide benefits to patients This collaboration further emphasizes the role of HitGen in the rapidly developing field of DNA-encoded chemistry. We will work closely with Boehringer Ingelheim scientists to generate new lead compounds for their research programmes to address unmet medical needs.” said Dr. Jin Li, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of HitGen.

Prof. Eric Haaksma, Senior Vice President Research Germany, said “We are very excited about the opportunity to complement our in-house expertise in the field of small molecule therapeutics research with HitGen’s DNA encoded library platform. We believe that HitGen’s screening capabilities of huge chemical spaces in combination with Boehringer Ingelheim’s skills in optimizing HitGen’s hits to novel drugs could speed-up the provision of innovative medicines.”

About HitGen Ltd

HitGen is a biotech company with headquarters and main research facilities based in Chengdu, China and with laboratory in USA. HitGen has established a unique platform for drug discovery research centred around DNA encoded chemical libraries (DELs). HitGen’s DELs contain more than 90 billion novel, diverse, drug-like small molecule and macrocycle compounds. These compounds are members of DELs synthesised from many hundreds of distinct chemical scaffolds, designed with tractable chemistry and proven results for finding drug leads against biological targets from known and novel classes. HitGen is working with multiple pharmaceutical, biotech companies and research institutes to discover and develop novel therapeutics of the future.

SOURCE: HitGen