• Two-year research collaboration to develop new reactive group chemistries targeting non-cysteine amino acids to expand druggable binding sites and identify novel targets in oncology and immunology
• Collaborators at Scripps are pioneers in the field of chemical biology and chemistry

SEONGNAM, South Korea and SAN DIEGO, Calif., Feb. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bridge Biotherapeutics (KQ288330), a South Korean clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel drugs for inflammation, fibrosis and oncology, and Scripps Research, an independent, nonprofit biomedical institute ranked the most influential in the world for its impact on innovation by Nature Index, today announced a research collaboration to discover and characterize novel reactive groups that target non-cysteine residues to uncover new druggable sites in targets of high therapeutic value.

Bridge Biotherapeutics will collaborate with Phil S. Baran, Ph.D., and Benjamin F. Cravatt III, Ph.D., pioneers in the fields of covalent targeting and chemical biology. The company aims to develop novel therapeutics for high-value targets in the oncology and immunology space and believes that innovative reactive group chemistries combined with proteomics can facilitate this objective. Bridge seeks to discover proprietary, tunable ligands for covalent drug development and protein degrader applications.

"Based on our expertise in developing bio-inspired targeting technologies, we are excited to discover tunable ligands demonstrating high selectivity for non-cysteine residues, which remain outside the scope of current covalent chemistry platforms," said Dr. Baran. "We hope to identify and validate new targeting axes in the oncology and immunology space, and ultimately to deliver novel life-changing therapies." Dr. Baran and Dr. Cravatt will be the principal investigators on the project.

B. Christopher Kim, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Bridge Biotherapeutics, said, "The research collaboration with Scripps Research adds an exciting new direction to our drug discovery and development activities focused on oncogenic mutations. We aim to develop a novel and tunable scientific platform to develop highly selective compounds to address unmet needs in numerous disease states."

Under the terms of the multi-year collaboration agreement, Scripps will conduct research and development activities, and Bridge Biotherapeutics will retain an exclusive option to acquire worldwide license and patent rights from the research program to further develop and commercialize the technology.

About Bridge Biotherapeutics, Inc.

Bridge Biotherapeutics Inc. is a publicly traded clinical-stage biotech company based in the Republic of Korea with offices in the U.S. and China. Founded in 2015, Bridge Biotherapeutics is engaged in the discovery and development of novel therapeutics for disease indications with high unmet medical including cancer, ulcerative colitis, and fibrotic diseases. The company's pipeline includes BBT-401, a first-in-class Pellino-1 inhibitor for the treatment of ulcerative colitis; BBT-877, a novel autotaxin inhibitor for the treatment of fibrotic diseases including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF); and BBT-176, a potent targeted cancer therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with C797S triple EGFR mutations. For more information, visit https://www.bridgebiorx.com/en/.

About Scripps Research

Scripps Research is an independent, nonprofit biomedical institute ranked the most influential in the world for its impact on innovation by Nature Index. We are advancing human health through profound discoveries that address pressing medical concerns around the globe. Our drug discovery and development division, Calibr, works hand-in-hand with scientists across disciplines to bring new medicines to patients as quickly and efficiently as possible, while teams at Scripps Research Translational Institute harness genomics, digital medicine and cutting-edge informatics to understand individual health and render more effective healthcare. Scripps Research also trains the next generation of leading scientists at our Skaggs Graduate School, consistently named among the top 10 US programs for chemistry and biological sciences. Learn more at www.scripps.edu.