LUNAC Therapeutics selects Domainex as its strategic drug discovery partner

CAMBRIDGE AND LEEDS, UNITED KINGDOM - Feb 25, 2020 - Domainex Ltd., a fully integrated provider of drug discovery services from its Medicines Research Centre near Cambridge, UK, has entered into a research partnership with LUNAC Therapeutics Limited to discover novel anticoagulant therapies  that have a reduced risk of bleeding compared to current therapies.

The aim of the partnership is to discover a drug that inhibits the protease target, activated Factor XII. This coagulation factor is implicated in the formation of pathological clots, but not the stemming of bleeding, so individuals who lack Factor XII do not exhibit bleeding symptoms unlike those with a deficiency in any other coagulation factor.

Intellectual property generated by Prof Helen Philippou and Dr Richard Foster, arising from unique insights during a decade of academic research into Factor XII, has enabled LUNAC to secure £2.65 million of funding for this programme in the first close of its Series A financing round led by Epidarex Capital. LUNAC, in conjunction with Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) and the University of Leeds, has also been successful in securing £3.14 million from Innovate UK’s Biomedical Catalyst programme. LUNAC, MDC and Domainex will work collaboratively on the project, each contributing their unique skills and expertise to aid its progression.

The Domainex team will provide structure-guided medicinal chemistry and biochemical screening, coupled with drug metabolism, safety and pharmacokinetic assessment of promising candidates. The goal is to advance the project efficiently into pre-clinical development and ultimately to clinical evaluation.

Dr Trevor Perrior, Chief Executive Officer at Domainex, said: “We are very pleased to have been chosen by LUNAC as their strategic drug discovery partner. We see this as further validation of our proven expertise in enriching the medicines pipelines of our partners. We look forward to working closely with Prof Philippou and her team towards the identification of novel, orally active anticoagulation medicines with minimal bleeding risk.”

Prof Helen Philippou, Scientific Founder of LUNAC Therapeutics, said: “There is an urgent need for anticoagulant therapies with reduced bleeding risk. Our research has validated that targeting activated Factor XII may lead to differentiated therapies and a new treatment option for patients. We chose Domainex as its highly skilled scientists bring a wealth of experience and we are very confident in their ability to help us realise our aspiration for LUNAC to bring new anticoagulant medicines to patients.” 

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For more information contact:

Domainex
Dr Tom Mander
E: tom.mander@domainex.co.uk

Media Relations - Sciad Communications
Deborah Cockerill / Juliette Craggs / Victoria Deaner
T: +44 (0)20 3405 7892
E: domainex@sciad.com

Notes to Editors

About Domainex
Domainex is a leading integrated medicines research service partner working with ambitious life science organisations from around the globe. We have been setting new standards in research since 2001, working collaboratively with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, patient foundations and leading academic institutions.

We provide innovative and customised biology and chemistry services to advance the disease research projects of our partners, from target expression to pre-clinical development candidate nomination. Working with Domainex maximises the chance of successful progression for our partners’ research and our approach consistently saves up to 30% of the time needed to discover new medicines by comparison with the industry average. Our innovative science and extensive technical capabilities enable us to produce novel medicines to treat diseases with strong commercial potential. We work closely and collaboratively with our sponsors to understand their aspirations, bringing our ideas, know-how and wealth of experience to bear on their projects.

Our highly qualified and experienced team of dedicated research scientists has an unrivalled breadth of knowledge, access to a wide range of technologies and a proven track record of successful innovation in solving research challenges including being named on over 60 patent applications and the invention of numerous candidate drugs. We aim to deliver successful outcomes efficiently and quickly, setting the highest possible benchmark in medicines research.

Full information about Domainex and our award-winning services can be found at www.domainex.co.uk.

About LUNAC
LUNAC Therapeutics is a spin out from the University of Leeds pursuing the discovery of next generation anticoagulant therapeutics by targeting activated Factor XII. Current therapies carry the risk of causing bleeding and LUNAC believes that targeting the coagulation cascade at the level of Factor XII will reduce this risk.

About Epidarex Capital
Epidarex Capital is a transatlantic venture fund that invests in early-stage, high growth life science and health technology companies in under-ventured markets. Epidarex focuses on providing risk capital to young companies, including spin-outs, from leading research institutions in both established and emerging life science hubs. The fund’s international management team has a track record of successfully partnering with top scientists and entrepreneurs to develop highly innovative products for the global healthcare market.