Interview With Simon Kerry, CEO and Founder, Curve Therapeutics
In this edition of Founder Spotlight, we feature Simon Kerry, CEO and Founder of Curve Therapeutics, a private biotechnology company pioneering a revolutionary intracellular screening platform to enable the discovery of innovative therapeutics against complex and challenging disease targets. Let’s join Simon to learn more about Curve Therapeutics’ journey.
What motivated you to establish Curve Therapeutics, and what specific gap in the industry are you aiming to address with your Microcycle platform?
I have worked in drug discovery for forty years, from bench scientist to Chief Executive. Over that period, there have been massive advances in our understanding of disease biology; however, our ability to design drugs that can address a large number of these newly discovered, disease-associated targets has not kept pace. By some estimates, over 85% of drug targets are still considered undruggable. During my career, I have seen the difference that display technologies have made to the discovery of novel antibodies and their fragments for extracellular and membrane-bound targets. In the Microcycle platform from Professor Ali Tavassoli’s laboratory at the University of Southampton, I saw similar potential but, unlike display technologies, with the promise of being able to address complex and challenging intracellular targets.
With $51 million in recent funding, what exciting developments or advancements can we expect from Curve Therapeutics?
We are using the investment to advance our pipeline and to broaden the platform. In terms of our pipeline, we are planning to take one of our more advanced programmes into clinical development and progress others to the development candidate stage. In terms of the platform, we are developing ways to address non-protein targets, such as RNA, and also membrane-bound targets such as GPCRs.
Can you explain how the Microcycle platform works and what its significance is in revolutionizing small molecule therapeutics?
By screening a library against intracellular targets inside a mammalian cell and selecting hits on the basis of their biological function, the Microcycle platform is designed to overcome the limitations of current gene-encoded drug discovery approaches. The process starts by engineering and validating a mammalian cell-based assay that can be used for screening to identify functional hits. Into each of these engineered cells is inserted a single member of a Microcycle gene library. From this gene, multiple copies of a single Microcycle are expressed inside each cell and those rare members of the library that have the desired biological function are identified, their DNA isolated and the cycle repeated – each time enriching for those Microcycles with the desired biological function. By screening inside a cell, the Microcycle platform can address complex and challenging targets that are poorly suited to conventional drug discovery methods
Curve Therapeutics primary focus is Cancer Therapeutics. How do you prioritize and select specific targets within this vast landscape of cancer types?
Target selection is one of the most important activities that we undertake and we take as much advice as we can from multiple advisers as part of the process. In essence, we are looking for targets in which the biology is well validated but there is little or no chemical matter from conventional screening approaches.
Could you share some success stories or breakthroughs achieved using the Microcycle® platform in developing first-in-class small molecules?
Our dual HIF-1 & HIF-2 programme has identified a binding site that is differentiated from the clinical-stage HIF-2 inhibitors. In this programme, we have used the unique properties of Microcycles to hop out of a peptide backbone into a non-peptide structure. In our ATIC programme, we have identified Microcycles and their pharmacophores that inhibit homodimerization of ATIC, a mechanism of action that we believe is unique.
The concept of lead hopping to non-peptide small molecules is intriguing. Can you elaborate on how this process accelerates lead optimization and drug discovery?
Normally, structural biology would be needed to understand how a compound binds to its target; however, the rigid and predictable structure of Microcycles allows us to predict the binding mode and position in space of functional groups that drive activity, which facilitates lead optimisation in the absence of structural biology.
Beyond cancer therapeutics, are there other disease areas or applications where the Microcycle® platform shows promise?
The platform is completely disease area agnostic. Cancer is only our initial focus. Intellectual property protection is crucial in the biotech industry.
How does Curve Therapeutics approach IP protection for its platform and discoveries?
Our platform is protected by patents and patent applications that we have licensed exclusively from the University of Southampton. This is backed up by a significant body of know-how and trade secrets. Our lead programmes are protected by composition of matter applications.
With recent funding, how has the Curve Therapeutics cap table evolved?
We have not published our cap table as yet but I can say that the new cap table includes new investors: Pfizer Ventures, British Patient Capital, Columbus Venture and the Harrington Institute alongside existing investors, Advent Life Sciences and Epidarex Capital.
Lastly, what message would you like to convey to potential collaborators, investors, and stakeholders interested in supporting Curve Therapeutics mission?
We are passionate about our ability to find hits and leads against the most challenging disease targets and providing new ways for improving the clinical outcomes of patients. We welcome potential collaborators, investors, and stakeholders to join us on this journey.
