Results from evaluation of the company's
SpliceCore® AI/ML platform in Triple
Negative Breast Cancer published in Molecular Systems
Biology
NEW
YORK, April 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --
Envisagenics, an AI-driven biotechnology company, today announced
the publication in the journal Molecular Systems Biology of study
results evaluating the company's SpliceCore AI/ML platform in
Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). This study demonstrates the
efficacy of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML)
for target discovery in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and
for identifying functional and verifiable splice-switching
oligonucleotides (SSOs) crucial for the development of RNA
therapeutics. The results also validate its potential to tackle a
challenging disease such as TNBC, a particularly aggressive cancer
affecting approximately 200,000 patients annually, with a dismal
five-year survival rate of only 20%. Detailed results from the
study, titled "Development and Validation of AI/ML Derived
Splice-Switching Oligonucleotides," are available here.
SSOs are synthetic antisense oligonucleotide compounds that
directly act on pre-mRNA to regulate the expression of
alternatively spliced isoforms unique to cancer cells, which are
key drivers of cancer progression and metastasis. While holding
immense promise as a therapeutic approach for impeding cancer
growth, the identification of functional SSOs using traditional
methods is high cost and requires extensive time and labor.
"This study bridges the gap between computational predictions
and experimental validation, positioning AI/ML as a critical force
in validating RNA targets and advancing SSO therapeutic
development," said Martin Akerman,
Ph.D., Envisagenics' CTO and Co-Founder.
In the study, Envisagenics achieved the following
milestones:
- Utilized its proprietary platform, SpliceCore, to identify
novel therapeutic targets along with their corresponding modulatory
SSOs, and the specific Splicing Factors affected in pre-mRNA by
these SSOs.
- Conducted a retrospective validation of the SpliceCore
algorithm using known functional SSOs.
- Validated a previously unidentified target in triple negative
breast cancer (TNBC), NEDD4L exon 13 (NEDD4Le13), discovered
through the SpliceCore platform.
- Illustrated the efficacy of targeting NEDD4Le13 with an
AI/ML-designed SSO, showcasing its ability to attenuate the
proliferative and migratory tendencies of TNBC cells, through
downregulation of the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ)
pathway, a pivotal player in tumor invasion and metastasis.
- Discovered a novel mechanism of TGFβ pathway regulation through
alternative splicing in cancer.
"For patients with TNBC and other diseases that are difficult to
treat, this study illustrates the usefulness of SpliceCore to
discover novel therapeutic targets from patient's RNA sequencing
data," said Dr. Akerman. "Our findings affirm the robustness and
reliability of the platform and shed light on previously
unrecognized avenues for therapeutic intervention."
About SpliceCore
SpliceCore is Envisagenics' proprietary AI/ML platform that
enables the translation of vast amounts of RNA sequencing data into
novel therapeutics. SpliceCore's versatility extends to both the
discovery of novel SSOs and splicing-derived neoepitopes for
advanced immunotherapy applications.
About Envisagenics
Envisagenics is an AI-driven biotechnology company harnessing
the therapeutic potential of RNA splicing. Over 95% of human genes
undergo alternative splicing, a process generating multiple RNA
isoforms from a single gene. Alternative splicing holds the key to
understanding and targeting over 370 diseases, including cancer and
neurodegenerative disorders. SpliceCore boasts an impressive
400-fold increase in transcriptomic search space compared to
conventional tools for target identification. Leveraging our
extensive map of over 14 million RNA splicing events, SpliceCore
enables the discovery of disease-specific targets, paving the way
for the rational design and development of RNA therapeutics and
immunotherapies.
Envisagenics collaborates closely with biopharmaceutical
companies and academic institutions to elevate their drug discovery
capabilities and have previously partnered with the Lung Cancer
Initiative at Johnson & Johnson, Biogen, and BMS. Founded
in 2014 as a spin-out from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, we take
pride in being a woman- and minority-led organization, with several
grants from esteemed institutions like the National Institute of
General Medical Sciences and the National Cancer Institute.
For more information on our groundbreaking work, connect with us
on Twitter and LinkedIn or visit https://www.envisagenics.com
Media Contact
Kathryn Morris, Ph.D.
kathrynmorris@ententeinc.com
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SOURCE Envisagenics, Inc.