DE Shaw Research (DESRES) has entered into an exclusive global license agreement with Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) for the clinical development and commercialisation of DESRES's programme of Kv1.3-targeted therapeutics for the treatment of various immunological and inflammatory diseases.
The lead compound, DES-7114, is an orally administered, highly selective small-molecule inhibitor of the ion channel protein Kv1.3. This first-in-class compound recently completed a successful Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers and has demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models of several chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, including ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and atopic dermatitis.
Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly will make an initial payment of $60 million to DESRES, with potential development and commercial milestone payments of up to $475 million, as well as royalties on worldwide sales.
The design of DES-7114 by DESRES was enabled by the use of proprietary special-purpose supercomputers that DESRES developed and constructed to perform ultra-high-speed, atomically detailed simulations of the three-dimensional motion of biologically and pharmaceutically significant molecules. A series of such simulations, in combination with experimental studies, resulted in DESRES's unique understanding of Kv1.3's structural, dynamic, and functional properties, leading to the design of compounds that bind strongly to the target protein while likely avoiding undesirable interactions with other ion channels.