KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., Feb. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SK Life Science Labs (formerly Proteovant Therapeutics) a subsidiary of SK Biopharmaceuticals, Co., Ltd., showcased its cutting-edge targeted protein degrader drug discovery research at the Keystone Symposia on Epigenetic Mechanisms and Cancer Treatment that took place in Santa Fe, NM, February 4-7, and at the 2nd Molecular Glue Drug Development Summit held in Boston, MA, January 30 – February 1.
Helai Mohammad, Ph.D., VP and Head of Biology, and one of the expert scientists leading SK Life Science Labs, whose leadership team together have more than 120 years of drug discovery and development experience, was invited to present at the Keystone Symposia. Dr. Mohammad showcased SK Life Science Labs’ most recent data and its novel approach to the degradation of epigenetic machinery for the treatment of cancer.
“The pre-clinical data we presented at the Keystone Symposia broadens our understanding of how targeted protein degradation can be leveraged to achieve selectivity and, thereby, increase efficacy,” said Dr. Mohammad. “This was also an opportunity to share the work our tenacious team is doing to push the limits of the targeted protein degradation field as we aim to contribute to the treatment of various cancer types through a precision medicine strategy.”
Corey Strickland, Ph.D., VP of Molecular Technology, attended the Molecular Glue Drug Development Summit to present research stemming from SK Life Science Labs’ glue discovery platform known as Molecular Proximity Enabled Detection, also known as MOPED™. The proprietary discovery platform increases access to targets and number of leads, broadens biological impact, and expands E3 opportunities, including target matched E3s and/or E3 agnostic. MOPED is comprised of two modules known as Emerald, a highly sensitive biochemical workflow to discover glues from defined drug targets and pre-selected E3s, and Sapphire, an E3 agnostic mass spectroscopy workflow to discover glues in a cellular context against defined drug targets.
“SK Life Science Labs’ R&D leadership has a proven track record in drug hunting, and the presentations that Dr. Mohammad and Dr. Strickland led in the past two weeks are examples of how our team of exceptional scientists is integrating innovative platforms with deep drug-hunting expertise to find new ways to defeat disease and improve patients’ lives,” said Zhihua Sui, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at SK Life Science Labs. “Since presenting data in October 2023 on orally bioavailable p300-selective degraders showing significant anti-tumor activity in preclinical models of androgen receptor (AR) positive prostate cancer, and on compounds with robust anti-tumor efficacy in vivo and oral leads demonstrating potent selective degradation of SMARCA2, we’ve made significant progress to our pipeline, and we are delighted to be able to share those results with others in the scientific community and potential partners that are helping us achieve our shared goals.”
SK Life Science Labs, part of SK Group—a global conglomerate investing in game-changing businesses—is a discovery and development company with a precision medicine approach for oncology and immunology. The company’s goal is to impact human health by breaking through the limits of targeted protein degradation (TPD) and expanding access to disease targets.
For more information about SK Life Science Labs and to review these and other scientific presentations, please visit our website at www.sklslabs.com/news-media.
About SK Life Science Labs
SK Life Science Labs (formerly Proteovant Therapeutics) exploits the ubiquitin-protease system (UPS) to discover and develop transformative medicines for the treatment of patients with life-altering diseases. Protein degradation harnesses the human body’s innate cellular machinery by way of the UPS to identify and mark disease-causing proteins for destruction. This promising approach provides the opportunity to target proteins of interest, many of which were previously considered undruggable. SK Life Science Labs integrates its AI-enabled target ID platform, degrader drug-hunting expertise, and MOPED™ molecular glue screening platform to advance novel protein degraders. As of August 11, 2023, SK Life Science Labs is part of SK Biopharmaceuticals. For more information, please visit www.sklslabs.com.
About SK Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.
SK Biopharmaceuticals is a global biotech company focused on the research, development, and commercialization of treatments to help people living with central nervous system (CNS) disorders and change the future of cancer care. Together with its U.S. subsidiary, SK Life Science, Inc., SK Biopharmaceuticals has a pipeline of eight compounds in development. Both companies are part of SK Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Korea and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential Companies of 2023. For more information, please visit www.skbp.com/eng.
SK Biopharmaceuticals’ parent company SK Inc. continues to enhance its portfolio value by executing long-term investments with a number of competitive subsidiaries in various business areas, including pharmaceuticals and life science, energy and chemicals, information and telecommunication, and semiconductors. In addition, SK Inc. is focused on reinforcing its growth foundations through profitable and practical management based on financial stability, while raising its enterprise value by investing in new future growth businesses. For more information, please visit www.sk-inc.om/en.
CONTACT: H. Park SK Biopharmaceuticals skbp_comm@SK.com Dina Albanese SK Life Science Labs & SK Life Science, Inc. media@SKLSLabs.com
