– License of proprietary RFdiffusion-based model, RFpeptides, provides Vilya with another powerful structure prediction framework for rapid and unique design of potent and selective macrocycles for therapeutic applications
– New preprint from Vilya Co-founders and UW faculty Gaurav Bhardwaj and David Baker demonstrates utility of RFpeptides for de novo design of protein-binding macrocycles
SEATTLE, Nov. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vilya, a biotechnology company creating a new class of medicines that precisely targets disease biology, today announced an exclusive commercial license agreement with the University of Washington to use RFpeptides, a new molecular design technology created at the UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design (IPD) and UW School of Pharmacy. Vilya, an IPD spinout company, uses its proprietary platform combining novel algorithms with an understanding of uncharted chemical space to design new molecular structures not found in nature. The integration of RFpeptides, a denoising diffusion-based pipeline for the de novo design of macrocyclic peptide binders against protein targets, will add generative design capabilities to Vilya's proprietary drug discovery platform.
Built on multiple technologies developed at the IPD including the RoseTTAFold2 protein structure prediction network and the RFdiffusion protein backbone generation framework, RFpeptides enables the generative design of novel macrocycles designed to tightly bind specific protein targets. RoseTTAFold2 and RFdiffusion were created in the lab of IPD Director and recent Nobel laureate in chemistry David Baker, Ph.D., a Co-founder of Vilya, HHMI Investigator, and Professor of Biochemistry at UW Medicine.
Macrocyclic peptides represent a new class of therapeutics, bridging the gap between small-molecule drugs and large biologics by being able to modulate molecular targets that are typically inaccessible to traditional drugs. Their unique size and structure allow them to maintain high affinity and selectivity while potentially accessing both extracellular and intracellular targets.
“RFpeptides is a novel deep learning pipeline that enables the precise design of macrocyclic peptide binders for a wide range of therapeutic protein targets,” said Gaurav Bhardwaj, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry at UW School of Pharmacy and Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington, and Co-founder of Vilya.
“This agreement marks a significant milestone in Vilya's mission to transform drug discovery and development through advanced computational approaches,” said Patrick J. Salveson, Ph.D., Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Vilya. “RFpeptides brings the power of modern protein structure prediction methods to the domain of macrocyclic peptides. Vilya is leveraging this technology to identify potent and selective macrocycles designed to bind to previously undruggable targets.”
The licensing agreement grants Vilya exclusive rights to RFpeptides, which, when coupled with Vilya’s existing methods, enables proprietary design of potent macrocycles. This strategic move aligns with Vilya's commitment to leveraging innovative technologies to address diseases with limited or no treatment options across a range of indications.
A new preprint publication on bioRxiv detailing findings from an initial study of the RFpeptides technology entitled, Accurate de novo design of high-affinity protein binding macrocycles using deep learning, was published on November 18, 2024 by the IPD.
About Vilya
Vilya is a computational biotechnology company creating a novel class of medicines to precisely target disease biology. The company’s proprietary platform, powered by advanced machine learning, taps into uncharted chemical space to design de novo molecular structures with enhanced drug-like properties that range in size between small molecules and antibodies. Vilya is leveraging its platform to focus on previously difficult-to-drug therapeutic targets. Vilya was co-founded by a team of scientists from the UW Medicine Institute of Protein Design (IPD), led by David Baker, Ph.D., and ARCH Venture Partners. The company has operations in Seattle and South San Francisco. To learn more, visit https://www.vilyatx.com.
Contacts
For Vilya Media Inquiries
Julie Normart
jnormart@realchemistry.com
