Cyclica Launches Ligand Express, a Disruptive Cloud-Based Platform to Revolutionize Drug Discovery

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- It is taking longer, and costing more to bring fewer drugs to the market - the process can take upwards of 14 years and cost $2.5bn. Pharmaceutical companies are seeking productivity gains in the discovery and development of new therapeutics, and are now turning towards digital technologies.

Cyclica is launching its novel cloud-based, proteome screening platform, Ligand Express™. The unique platform, which harnesses biophysics, biological data, and artificial intelligence (AI), is actively being used by pharmaceutical scientists to more efficiently navigate the drug discovery pipeline.

The web-accessible platform (www.ligandexpress.com) grants users access to Cyclica’s AI-assisted, structure-based, molecular simulation technology. Users can submit small molecules of interest to rapidly generate unique polypharmacology profiles. These profiles consist of on- and off-target interactions that may be expected, as well as those that are unanticipated to aid decision making. Off-target interactions can be viewed using the platform’s interactive, analytical tools that enable exploration and facilitate deep insights that cannot be gained through traditional target-based approaches. By using cloud-computing, Cyclica accomplishes proteome screening without requiring hefty infrastructure on-site, with users needing only a laptop with a modern internet browser installed. A short demo of Ligand Express™ can be found here.

Traditional design of small molecule therapies has focused on specific, disease-associated protein targets; however, once a drug enters the body it interacts with dozens, if not hundreds, of proteins targets. In a matter of only a few days, Ligand Express™ provides a panoramic view of a small-molecule, which aids in identifying novel targets, deconvoluting mechanism of action from phenotypic screening, elucidating adverse events, prioritizing leads, and determining new uses for existing drugs (repositioning/repurposing). Ligand Express™ augments discovery by providing scientists demonstrable and actionable insights to better understand a drug’s effect earlier in discovery, thereby reducing months or years of R&D time and associated costs.

Cyclica’s vision is to be an integral utility platform in the pharmaceutical R&D value chain, and thereby catalyze a productivity revolution. To date, Ligand Express™ has been used by leading pharmaceutical companies, research institutes, and non-profit organizations in Canada, US, China and Brazil to risk adjust discovery efforts, and thereby save time and capital in moving better products forward.

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