OntoChem Assigns Anixa Covid-19 Drug Discovery Project to MolGenie

OntoChem GmbH, a German Life Science IT company, announced that it has assigned its drug discovery technologies and assets, including its drug discovery collaboration with Anixa Biosciences, Inc. a biotechnology company focused on the treatment and prevention of cancer and infectious diseases, to the newly formed MolGenie GmbH, a biotech company focusing on drug discovery and development.

Anixa and OntoChem were seeking to develop an orally administrable, metabolically stable, non-toxic anti-viral therapy against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.  The partners had recently completed in vitro antiviral cell-based studies and in vivo POC studies in a Syrian Hamster model of the Covid-19 disease.  Anixa is now working with MolGenie to use the generated compounds and data, together with MolGenie’s network of experts in drug development, to advance the project to its next stage of development.

“We are glad that this project has resulted in the discovery of novel compounds that are promising agents to treat Covid-19,” said Dr. Felix Berthelmann, COO of OntoChem.  “With the need to focus the project now on selecting compounds for a comprehensive pre-clinical development program, we are convinced that MolGenie will provide a more focused approach to advance this project further towards an upcoming investigational new drug application.”

“We are excited to continue the development of this promising anti-viral program,” stated Dr. Lutz Weber, CEO of MolGenie.  “With the formation of MolGenie, we can now focus our resources solely on drug discovery and development and provide greater support for the advancement of the Anixa Covid-19 collaboration.”

Dr. Amit Kumar, President and CEO of Anixa Biosciences, stated, “Based on the promising data of our successful collaboration with OntoChem, we are proceeding to the next stage of drug development.  This phase includes synthesis and biological testing to select suitable development candidates by evaluating the toxicology, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of those compounds. MolGenie, with its proven network of experts in drug discovery and development will provide the optimal support for this development.”