PeptiDream Inc., a public Kanagawa, Japan-based biopharmaceutical company (President and CEO: Patrick C. Reid, hereinafter “PeptiDream”)(Tokyo: 4587) and Modulus Discovery, Inc., a privately held Tokyo-based drug discovery company (CEO: S. Roy Kimura, hereinafter “Modulus”) today announced the nomination of the first clinical development candidate arising from the companies’ strategic drug discovery partnership.

Under the companies’ strategic partnership, initiated in June 2017, PeptiDream has been using its proprietary Peptide Discovery Platform System “PDPS” technology to identify constrained peptide hit candidates against high value targets of interest to Modulus, and then the two companies worked together to attain crystal structures of candidate:target complexes, from which Modulus has been using its advanced computational chemistry technologies and expertise to design small molecule candidates with similar functionality.

The nominated clinical development candidate is a novel potent and selective small molecule inhibitor of KIT (program code: MOD-B), a key signaling kinase involved in the Mast cell response pathway, for the potential treatment of Mast-cell driven immuno-inflammatory diseases, including allergic disease.　Going forward, Modulus will be responsible for conducting IND-enabling studies with the aim of moving the MOD-B program into clinical trials, as well as leading all partnering/out-licensing activities for the program.

Under the terms of the original 2017 Strategic Discovery Collaboration Agreement, the companies will share all future revenues related to the MOD-B program.  PeptiDream is a minority shareholder in Modulus.

“We are very excited to announce the development candidate nomination for MOD-B – our selective KIT inhibitor discovery program. Through the innovative combination of PeptiDream’s PDPS platform together with Modulus’ simulation-driven small-molecule discovery platform, we have identified and fully characterized a highly unique small molecule KIT inhibitor exhibiting an unprecedented level of kinase selectivity. This extremely high selectivity enables us to consider therapeutic applications in a wide range of Mast-cell driven inflammatory diseases with high unmet needs. This achievement also provides the first proof-of-concept for our unique approach combining PeptiDream’s exceptional peptide discovery capabilities with our small-molecule discovery capabilities and platform. We are looking forward to further ground-breaking discoveries in our collaboration with PeptiDream to accelerate delivery of novel medicines to patients and their families in need.”   said S. Roy Kimura PhD, CEO of Modulus Discovery.

“We are delighted to announce the nomination of the first clinical development candidate arising from our partnership with Modulus.  This achievement highlights the power of combining our peptide-based PDPS hit finding platform with Modulus’s exceptional computational-based drug design approaches, to identify truly novel and innovative small molecule therapeutics against challenging drug targets with high medical value.” said Patrick C. Reid PhD, President & CEO of PeptiDream.

About PeptiDream Inc.
PeptiDream Inc. (Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Section 4587) is leading the translation of macrocyclic peptides into a whole new class of innovative medicines to address unmet medical needs and improve the quality of life of patients worldwide.  Founded in 2006, PeptiDream employs its proprietary Peptide Discovery Platform System (PDPS) technology, a state-of-the-art highly versatile discovery platform which enables the production of highly diverse (trillions) non-standard peptide libraries with high efficiency, for the identification of highly potent and selective macrocyclic peptide candidates, which then can be developed into peptide-based, small molecule-based, peptide-drug conjugate (PDC) and multi-functional peptide conjugates (MPC)-based therapeutics and diagnostics.  PeptiDream has an extensive global network of discovery and development partners driving the development and commercialization of a broad and diversified pipeline of investigational therapeutics.  PeptiDream also markets and sells a number of radiopharmaceutical and radiodiagnostic products in Japan, through its wholly owned subsidiary, PDRadiopharma.  PeptiDream is headquartered in Kawasaki, Japan. For more information about our company, science and pipeline, please visit www.peptidream.com

About Modulus Discovery Inc.
Modulus Discovery, Inc., is a preclinical-stage technology-driven drug discovery firm with offices in Tokyo and Boston. The company is pursuing its unique portfolio of small-molecule discovery programs and collaborations through integration of its unique core biology insights, cutting-edge simulation platform, and scalable networked operations. Modulus is focused on the efficient delivery of breakthrough medicines for patients and their families with unmet medical needs in areas including oncology, chronic inflammation, autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, and rare genetic conditions.  For more information, please visit www.modulusdiscovery.com

Inquiries:
PeptiDream Inc.
Contact: Yuko Okimoto, IR & Public Affairs
Email: info@peptidream.com

Modulus Discovery, Inc.
Contact: Satomi Degami, IR & Business Development
E-mail: info@modulusdiscovery.com