Luciole Pharmaceuticals, OHSU Announce Sponsored Research Agreement to Accelerate Discovery of Novel Medicines

NATICK, Mass. and PORTLAND, Jan. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Luciole Pharmaceuticals and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), announced today a research agreement aimed at accelerating the discovery of small molecule agonists of OGG1 (8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase). OGG1 is the key enzyme in the initiation of base excision repair of oxidative damage in nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Through this collaboration, Luciole will support research at OHSU to test compounds identified using Cyclica's AI enabled platform directed at OGG1 for the treatment of neurodegenerative and other diseases of aging.

"Luciole aims to be the premier DNA repair company by applying state-of-the-art technology with an efficient, virtual company approach for the development of novel medicines. We are pleased to support continuing research in the Lloyd/McCullough laboratories at OHSU to test OGG1 activity of new compounds arising from our collaboration with Cyclica. Luciole is using Cyclica's first in class polypharmacology and AI enabled platform to efficiently identify new molecules with disease modifying potential.  The research program at OHSU will provide important new data and advance our drug discovery program"— Dennis I. Goldberg, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at Luciole Pharmaceuticals.

"We are excited to begin this collaboration with Professors Lloyd and McCullough. The outcome will broaden and diversify our chemical space to fuel the computational engines at Cyclica Inc., and advance this unique chemistry" - William Rumsey, Ph.D, Chief Scientific Officer at Luciole Pharmaceuticals.

"We are pleased to be collaborating with Luciole and Cyclica on the discovery and refinement of small molecule agonists of OGG1. Cyclica's artificial intelligence approach rapidly identifies candidate molecules for further medicinal chemistry workup.   Luciole will then deliver compounds to our labs for high-throughput fluorescence-based OGG1 activity assays. We look forward to discovering novel therapeutics in treating age-related degenerative diseases."  R. Stephen Lloyd, Ph.D., and Amanda K. McCullough, Ph.D.

Terms of the agreement with OHSU are not disclosed.

About Luciole Pharmaceuticals

Luciole Pharmaceuticals is a startup biotech company that is developing novel therapeutics to repair damaged mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is a critical aspect of the aging process.  Mitochondria provide all mammalian cells with energy and healthy mitochondria are essential to healthy tissues and longevity.  A natural by-product of this essential function is the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The mitochondrial genome is physically tethered to the primary site of ROS generation.   Oxidative damage to mtDNA is an inexorable aspect of human aging that causes mitochondrial dysfunction, mtDNA breakdown, activation of the innate immune system and ultimately cell death.  Luciole is the first company to focus on enhancing the repair of oxidatively damaged mtDNA.

Luciole's technology is based on the cutting-edge work of Dr. Rumsey, Luciole's co-founder, in collaboration with Vilhelm Bohr, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Laboratory on Molecular Gerontology at the National Institute on Aging, and of co-founders, R. Stephen Lloyd and Amanda K. McCullough at OHSU.  Luciole was formed as a spinout from OHSU with exclusive, worldwide license to commercialize proprietary small molecule OGG1 activators based on the Lloyd/McCullough discoveries.

For further information, visit www.luciolepharma.com.

SOURCE Luciole Pharmaceuticals

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