Confo Therapeutics Expands Patent Estate for ConfoBody®-based GPCR Screening Platform
Ghent, Belgium – December 15, 2021 – Confo Therapeutics a leader in the discovery of medicines targeting G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), today announced that it has extended its patent estate with four key US and EU patents granted as part of the company’s foundational “Steyaert patents”. The newly added patents (US-11,162,953, US-11,162,954, EP 3557254 and EP 3557255) cover Confo’s well-established small molecule screening capabilities, which led to the discovery of CFTX-1554, Confo’s pre-clinical AT2R antagonist for the treatment of neuropathic pain. Additionally, they cover Confo’s capabilities for generating therapeutic agonistic antibodies against GPCRs, which form part of Confo’s recently announced collaborative agreement with Regeneron, Inc.
The Steyaert patents, named after Prof. Jan Steyaert (VIB-VUB), the primary inventor and Confo’s scientific founder, encompass a series of patents and patent applications that cover the composition-of-matter and various uses of ConfoBodies®, immunoglobulin single variable domains capable of binding specific protein conformations, in structural biology and drug discovery. Confo Therapeutics holds the exclusive commercial rights to the Steyaert patent estate in the field of GPCR structure determination and drug discovery. Confo has now extended the coverage of the Steyaert patents with granted claims covering methods for screening GPCRs using ConfoBodies® as well as GPCR-ConfoBody® complexes that are used in such screening methods. The granted claims for GPCR-ConfoBody® complexes also cover other developments of the ConfoBody® platform, such as Confo’s proprietary ConfoScreen®, ConfoSensor®, ConfoChimer™ and ConfoStructure™ technologies.
“Our patent estate protects the ground-breaking potential of the ConfoBody® technology and resulting compounds first established by Prof. Steyaert and his collaborators. Our leadership position in GPCR-based drug discovery derives from our proven ability to leverage our proprietary technology to rapidly create a pipeline of new small-molecule and biologic drug candidates against GPCRs,” commented Cedric Ververken, Chief Executive Officer of Confo Therapeutics.
The Steyaert patents now comprise approximately 30 granted patents (13 US and 8 EU) and around 25 patent applications within 7 patent families worldwide.
About CFTX-1554
CFTX-1554 is Confo Therapeutics’ first product candidate in pre-clinical development and is designed to address peripheral neuropathic pain while avoiding centrally mediated side effects, such as addiction and sedation. The compound is a novel inhibitor of angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R), a clinically validated target for the treatment of neuropathic pain. Whereas clinical-stage compounds targeting AT2R have failed to progress due to side-effects and/or toxicity concerns, CFTX-1554 more efficiently interacts with the AT2R binding site, resulting in improved drug-like properties. Confo is finalizing Phase 1-enabling studies and aims to advance CFTX-1554 to clinical development upon successful completion of these studies.
About Confo Therapeutics
Confo Therapeutics’ unparalleled technology stabilizes functional conformations of GPCRs (G protein-coupled receptors) to uncover a wide range of previously inaccessible drug targets. This platform combined with the pharmacologic and biologic insight it provides, allows Confo to build a multi-indication pipeline of drug candidates with the vision of transforming therapeutic outcomes for patients with severe illnesses lacking disease-modifying treatments. Confo Therapeutics was spun out of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and VIB in 2015. Supported by international life-science focused investors and led by an experienced team of entrepreneurial professionals and scientists from successful biopharmaceutical companies, Confo Therapeutics benefits from the rich scientific and innovative ecosystem in Belgium.
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