Iktos and Cube Biotech Announce Launch of Small Molecule AI Drug Discovery Collaboration

Partnership will leverage Iktos's AI-enabled drug discovery platform and Cube Biotech's advanced protein technologies to develop novel agonists of the Amylin Receptor

PARIS and MONHEIM, Germany, Jan. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Iktos, a leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics for drug design, and Cube Biotech, a pioneer in membrane protein production and purification technologies, today announced a strategic collaboration to discover novel small molecule agonists of the Amylin Receptor.

The partnership combines Iktos' generative AI-driven drug discovery and robotic synthesis platform with Cube Biotech's advanced native membrane protein technology NativeMP^TM, as well as their purification and biophysical assay expertise, to accelerate the development of breakthrough therapies. This paves the way for a joint collaborative offering directed towards pharmaceutical companies, combining the strengths of both platforms to undertake their most challenging drug discovery programs.

Amylin receptor agonists hold significant promise for addressing unmet medical needs in cardiometabolic disorders, including obesity, diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic hepatitis (MASH). The Amylin Receptor regulates appetite and satiety, making it a compelling target for obesity, which affects over one-third of the global population. Existing GLP-1 receptor agonist therapies like semaglutide or the peptide Amylin analogue Pramlintide have limited impact due to high costs, accessibility, and undesirable side effects.

Orally administered novel small molecule agonists of the Amylin receptor could overcome these barriers, offering scalable and effective treatments and providing better management for the growing obesity epidemic and its comorbidities. However, the receptor's structural and biological complexity has long posed challenges for discovering viable low-molecular-weight modulators.

"By tackling one of the most pressing unmet needs in cardiometabolic disorders, our partnership with Cube Biotech aims to discover improved treatments for patients affected by obesity, diabetes, and related conditions," said Yann Gaston-Mathé, Co-founder and CEO of Iktos. "We are excited to add the Amylin Receptor to our pipeline as this complex, yet promising target demands innovation at every stage. We see this collaboration as a foundation for future initiatives, extending the reach of our combined platform to address the most challenging membrane targets for the benefit of our pharma partners."

Iktos has developed a cutting-edge 3D generative chemistry technology for structure-guided de novo design that natively accounts for protein flexibility during molecule optimization—a key advantage over models like AlphaFold, which can only be applied post-molecule generation. Cube Biotech has developed a world-leading protein production platform, based on NativeMP™ technology, which preserves the natural configuration of membrane proteins - a key advantage in accessing biologically active drug targets for testing. The company's native protein stabilization technology enhances the reliability and precision of functional assays, structural insights, and downstream applications.

"Amylin Receptor is a challenging but highly promising target for metabolic disorders", said Dr. Barbara Maertens, Co-founder and COO of Cube Biotech. "Through our collaboration with Iktos, we aim to leverage our advanced protein stabilization and structural analysis technologies to validate and accelerate the discovery of novel small molecule agonists. Together, we are setting a new standard for efficiency and innovation in drug discovery."

These integrated technologies endeavor to overcome longstanding inefficiencies in drug discovery, shortening timelines, improving success rates, and unlocking new possibilities for targeting complex and historically elusive membrane proteins, such as G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), membrane transporters, ion channels, and others.

About Iktos

Iktos is a leader in artificial intelligence and robotic solutions applied to research in medicinal chemistry and new drug design. Iktos' proprietary and innovative generative AI solution enables the design of molecules that are optimized in silico to meet all the success criteria of a small molecule discovery project. The use of Iktos technology enables major productivity gains in upstream pharmaceutical R&D. Iktos offers its technology through the SaaS software platforms Makya™ for generative drug design and Spaya™ for retrosynthesis, and through strategic collaborations with pharma companies where Iktos mobilizes its unique platform and leading-edge capabilities to expedite small molecule drug discovery for the benefit of its partners. Iktos has also developed Iktos Robotics, a unique AI-driven synthesis automation platform that dramatically accelerates the Design-Make-Test-Analyze cycle in drug discovery and is developing its own pipeline of drug candidates targeting oncology and auto-immune and inflammatory diseases. In March 2023, Iktos completed a 15.5M€ Series A financing round co-led by M Ventures and Debiopharm Innovation with contribution by Omnes Capital. In July 2024, Iktos announced the acquisition of Synsight, thereby complementing its Chemistry AI platform with a groundbreaking biology platform for the discovery of new drugs targeting Protein-Protein Interactions (PPI) and RNA-Protein Interactions (RPI).

About Cube Biotech Cube Biotech is a leader in membrane protein production, purification, and characterization technologies. With proprietary copolymer-based solutions that maintain biological integrity in native-like protein states, Cube Biotech enables groundbreaking research in challenging drug targets, including membrane receptors, protein co-expressions, and even larger complexes.

The company's expertise in assay development, biophysical characterization, and structural resolution supports efficient drug discovery workflows across the pharmaceutical and biotechnical industries. Additionally, an extensive purification resin and magnetic bead portfolio for affinity chromatography and efficient protein purification is manufactured in-house at high quality. For more information, visit www.cube-biotech.com.

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Eleonora Echegaray
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SOURCE Iktos