CRDMO Symeres is partnering with the pre-clinical biotech Ambagon Therapeutics to explore a new class of small molecules, known as molecular glues, for potential use in colorectal cancer and other hard-to-target diseases.
Molecular glues are an emerging type of therapy that can facilitate or stabilise protein interactions.
This approach offers an alternative to traditional inhibitors or activators and has the potential to broaden the druggable proteome while minimising the toxicity associated with conventional treatment strategies.
Under the new collaboration, Symeres has said it will evaluate Ambagon's newly designed molecular glues through a series of in vitro assays and mechanistic studies.
The project will focus on evaluating ternary complex kinetics using surface plasmon resonance (ResidenceTimer), alongside cellular assays to assess the functional impact on disease-relevant pathways.
Fluorescence microscopy will be used to examine inhibition of target protein nuclear translocation, while downstream effects on pathway activity will be analysed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western blotting.
The therapeutic potential of the molecular glues will also be assessed using cancer cell viability assays.
"Targeting previously undruggable proteins remains one of the key challenges in oncology drug discovery," said Jorg Benningshof, Managing Director, Oncolines, a Symeres company.
By combining Ambagon's molecular glue technology with our translational research capabilities, we aim to generate meaningful insights to accelerate preclinical development across a variety of therapeutic conditions.
Symeres stated that it also supports broader development efforts by applying its synthesis and validation services, including profiling across its panel of 102 cancer cell lines. This rounded approach helps customers "understand compound behaviour earlier, ensuring confident progression of promising candidates towards IND."
Christian Ottmann, co-founder and CSO, Ambagon Therapeutics, added: "This collaboration enables us to deepen our understanding of how molecular glues can modulate disease-relevant pathways in colorectal cancer."
Working with Symeres provides access to robust validation platforms that are critical for progressing our pipeline.
The collaboration reflects a growing industry focus on novel modalities that can unlock challenging biological targets and improve patient outcomes in complex cancers.