Zymergen Announces Emerging Drug Discovery Business Enabled by One of the World’s Largest Metagenomics Databases and Proprietary Synthetic Biology Platform
09 Enero 2022 - 8:00PM
Biotechnology company Zymergen (ZY) announced a new drug discovery
business based around their proprietary synthetic biology platform
and what is believed to be the world’s largest metagenomics
database, combining both size and quality. This new business
leverages Zymergen’s differentiated access to natural products as a
source of diverse chemical matter and augments Zymergen’s existing
advanced materials programs, capitalizing on years of prior
research and development in synthetic biology.
Zymergen's metagenomics database - which contains a breadth and
depth of metagenomic information rivaling all publicly available
datasets combined - provides access to a vast reservoir of novel
natural products, including molecules from uncultured microbes.
With this resource, Zymergen scientists have been able to confirm
currently marketed blockbuster drugs and molecules in late clinical
development, and discover novel modulators of important oncology
targets. By combining next-gen sequencing with proprietary machine
learning and informatics, Zymergen’s platform transforms the search
for structurally novel bioactive molecules from tedious screening
campaigns to a rapid and accurate digital database search for a
therapeutic target of interest.
“Zymergen is demonstrating the potential of a new discovery
paradigm; moving from inefficient large-scale physical screening to
rapid in silico database searching, which can greatly accelerate
the pace of early discovery,” said Devin Scannell, VP of Innovation
for Zymergen’s drug discovery business. “Whether for targeted
protein degradation or traditional inhibitors, scientists are
looking for access to new chemical space. Our platform provides
access to molecules that have evolved to engage targets of interest
with highly diverse mechanisms. In addition to extensive chemical
novelty, the amount of optimization required to achieve drug-like
properties for such molecules can be significantly less than for
purely synthetic compounds.”
Zymergen’s initial drug discovery pipeline is focused on
high-value oncology targets where precision medicine and Zymergen’s
distinctive, complex molecules are expected to provide competitive
and therapeutic advantages.
“We have sequenced and stored the equivalent of billions of
previously unknown microbial genomes in a database that continues
to grow,” said Zymergen VP of Metagenomics Oliver Liu. “Compared to
companies that must rely on the same small slice of biodiversity
that can be cultured in the lab, we can use our patented process to
access and unlock a source for novel natural product discovery that
has historically been out of reach.”
Zymergen’s position was strengthened by the acquisition of Lodo
Therapeutics in mid-2021. Lodo Therapeutics brings additional
expertise in metagenomics as well as an experienced drug discovery
team and proprietary technology, including for natural products
structure-based drug design. Their existing multi-target discovery
collaboration with Genentech – part of the Roche Group – continues
to build on their earlier achievements of preclinical
milestones.
“We are excited about the opportunity to drive real advances in
drug discovery with natural products,” said Zymergen’s interim CEO
Jay Flatley. “We believe the size and diversity of our metagenomic
collection - coupled with our unique bioinformatics tools and
search capabilities - allows us to pursue challenging, high-value
targets. This is clearly a great fit for Zymergen since our
strength in synthetic biology will give us an advantage in
expressing these complex molecules, but ultimately we see this as a
win for patients in need of more effective treatments.”
About ZymergenZymergen is a biotech company
that designs and produces molecules, microbes and materials for
diverse end markets. We partner with nature to make better
products, a better way, for a better world.
Forward Looking StatementsThis press release
contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Such
forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s beliefs and
assumptions and on information currently available to it on the
date of this press release. In some cases, you can identify these
statements by forward-looking words such as “believe,” “may,”
“can,” “aims,” “will,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,”
“project,” “potential,” “opportunity,” “expect,” “designed to,”
“focus” or the negative or plural of these words or similar
expressions. Forward-looking statements in this press release,
include but are not limited to statements regarding the potential
for our drug discovery business and the expectations for our
metagenomics library. Forward-looking statements may involve known
and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause
actual results, performance or achievements to be materially
different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking
statements, including, but not limited to, risks relating to our
ability to successfully commercialize or generate revenue from our
products; our ability to develop or execute on our new strategic
plan and our ability to reduce our operating costs and extend our
cash runway. These and other risks are described more fully in the
Company’s filings with the SEC, including the Company’s Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, and
other documents the Company subsequently files with the SEC. Except
to the extent required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation
to update such statements to reflect events that occur or
circumstances that exist after the date on which they were
made.
Investor ContactCarrie
Mendivilinvestors@zymergen.com
Media ContactMike Dulinmdulin@zymergen.com
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