SAN RAMON, Calif., May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Odyssey Thera, Inc. today announced the publication, in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Chemical Biology, of a major study validating its strategy of pathway-based drug activity profiling in living human cells. The article, “Identifying off-target effects and hidden phenotypes of drugs in human cells,” was published online today (URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nchembio790) and will appear in the June print issue. Odyssey Thera’s unique cellular technology will be featured on the cover of the prestigious biomedical journal.
In the study, Odyssey Thera’s proprietary high-content Protein-fragment Complementation Assays (PCAs) were used to measure spatial and temporal changes in protein complexes in response to drugs. Using high-throughput automated microscopy, 107 diverse drugs were each screened in 49 live-cell assays at multiple early time-points, resulting in a dataset of unprecedented depth. Odyssey Thera researchers pinpointed the drug mode of action, and identified the patterns of biochemical activity induced by successful therapeutics as well as toxic and failed drugs. The data recapitulated known structure-function relationships, and also indicated that four drugs harbored unexpected or ‘hidden’ anti-proliferative activity. As predicted by the profiles, these four drugs potently suppressed the growth of several types of human tumor cells. Results also demonstrated that the approach is suitable for any target class or therapeutic area, and therefore represents a powerful general strategy for therapeutic discovery, compound profiling and drug re-indication.
Odyssey Thera President and Chief Scientific Officer, John K. Westwick, Ph.D., commented, “Drug discovery and development is currently plagued by high costs and poor productivity. Drugs are tested against isolated proteins, but drugs ultimately act on complex biochemical networks, leading to unexpected results. We took a different approach, and directly visualized and measured on-pathway and off-pathway activities of drugs in living human cells.” Dr. Westwick continued, “We observed numerous unexpected or ‘hidden’ drug effects, some of which could be exploited for therapeutic benefit. Of course, hidden activities are also responsible for the high rate of drug failure during development. We feel that drug candidate profiling for selectivity and safety is a key application of this technology -- in fact, we are actively applying this strategy to our own, and our partners, drug candidates.”
About Odyssey Thera
Odyssey Thera, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company that is pioneering a pathway-based approach to drug discovery. The use of human cells instead of isolated proteins aids in the identification of drug leads with desirable profiles, and enables early attrition of compounds with unintended effects in human cells. The company is applying its strategy both for the benefit of its pharmaceutical partners, and to identify small molecules that
block key cancer pathways in man. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.odysseythera.com.
Odyssey Thera, Inc.
CONTACT: John K. Westwick, Ph.D., President and CSO of Odyssey Thera,Inc., +1-925-242-5011
Web site: http://www.odysseythera.com//
