Regulatory News:

ONCODESIGN (ALONC – FR0011766229), a biopharmaceutical group specialized in precision medicine, today announces that it has reached a key milestone in its RIPK2 kinase inhibitor discovery program.

RIPK2 (or RIP2: Receptor Interacting Protein Kinase 2) is a kinase implicated in the activation of the innate immune system response. RIPK2 is activated upon a bacterial infection in order to eliminate the infected cells. However, this natural defense could be at the origin of numerous autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, which are the scourge of millions of people around the world and have a substantial socio-economic impact on society.

Using its Nanocyclix medicinal chemistry platform, a proprietary technology enabling the selection of highly potent and selective kinase inhibitors, Oncodesign pursues a RIPK2 inhibitor optimization program that has led to the identification of a product characterized at the pre-candidate stage. The pharmacokinetic properties of this compound now has to be evaluated in confirmatory studies and completed by toxicity studies. This stage represents a major milestone towards the selection of a drug candidate to enter subsequently in the preclinical development phase, the final stage prior to an IND (Investigational New Drug) application and the initiation of the first clinical studies.

Jan Hoflack, Oncodesign’s CSO, explains: “The RIPK2 discovery program has generated extremely promising results. Today, we have a potent and selective drug pre-candidate with the potential of being administered in small doses limiting the risk of side effects for patients. Simultaneously, we have made significant progress in understanding the pharmacology associated with the inhibition of the RIPK2 pathway. This molecule will have to successfully pass further preliminary pharmacokinetic and toxicology tests before being granted the status of drug candidate by the end of 2019 and then entering the preclinical development phase.”

Philippe Genne, Chairman, CEO and founder of Oncodesign, comments: “This is a key milestone for the development of our portfolio of kinase inhibitors, in light of the major investments undertaken by Oncodesign since it took over the Les Ulis research center. Following the announcement of the drug discovery partnership signed with Servier in March, Oncodesign’s positive momentum is actively continuing in 2019.”

The immuno-inflammatory therapy market represented approximately 56 billion dollars in 20171, with substantial need for additional differentiating therapies given the partial responses provided by current treatments. Inhibitors of kinases such as RIPK2 have the potential to increase the therapeutic arsenal in this domain with small molecules that can be administered orally.

About ONCODESIGN: www.oncodesign.com

Founded over 20 years ago by Dr. Philippe Genne, the Company’s CEO and Chairman, Oncodesign is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to precision medicine. With its unique experience acquired by working with more than 600 clients, including the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, along with its comprehensive technological platform combining state-of-the-art medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, regulated bioanalysis, medical imaging and Artificial Intelligence, Oncodesign is able to predict and identify, at a very early stage, each molecule's therapeutic usefulness and potential to become an effective drug. Applied to kinase inhibitors, which represent a market estimated at over $46 billion in 2016 and accounting for almost 25% of the pharmaceutical industry’s R&D expenditure, Oncodesign’s technology has already enabled the targeting of several promising molecules with substantial therapeutic potential, in oncology and elsewhere, along with partnerships with pharmaceutical groups such as Bristol-Myers Squibb and UCB. Oncodesign is based in Dijon, France, in the heart of the town’s university and hospital hub, and within the Paris-Saclay cluster. Oncodesign has 232 employees and subsidiaries in Canada and the USA.

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1 Global Data, 2018