Pfizer and Enodia Therapeutics have announced a research collaboration and licensing deal potentially worth over $500m to discover and develop Sec61 inhibitors.
Under the partnership, Enodia Therapeutics will handle initial discovery work to identify, refine, and advance small-molecule candidates directed at multiple targets.
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Pfizer will take full responsibility for subsequent clinical trials, manufacturing, regulatory submissions, and commercial operations once the collaboration phase concludes.
Financially, Enodia Therapeutics will receive an upfront fee, plus potential payments tied to research, development, and sales milestones. The biotechnology company is also eligible to receive tiered royalties based on future net sales.
Founding partner Alexandra Carrel and MCE Carrel Avocats member Thomas Rocco provided legal counsel for Enodia Therapeutics during the transaction.
The programme centres on Enodia Therapeutics’ drug discovery platform, which modulates the Sec61 Translocon to halt harmful proteins during synthesis prior to the onset of disease pathology, whilst maintaining normal cellular functions.
The company utilises machine learning alongside structural biology data, such as cryo-EM, in combination with proteomics and tailored cell-line libraries to guide the design of small molecules across several Sec61 inhibitor families.
Enodia Therapeutics CEO Yves Ribeill said: “Enodia has built a broad platform that enables selective Sec61 Translocon modulation, a novel approach to inhibit disease-driving proteins while preserving essential physiological functions.
“We look forward to collaborating with Pfizer, combining their deep expertise and clinical resources with our approach for precisely targeting pathological proteins to bring forth potential new medicines.”
Established through Argobio Studio and based on foundational research conducted at the Institut Pasteur, Enodia Therapeutics concentrates on targeted protein degradation at synthesis.
The company is directing its internal Sec61 research pipeline primarily towards immunology, oncology and inflammation, with further prospects in virology.
In June this year, Pfizer and Chai Discovery agreed on a licensing deal enabling the former to incorporate Chai’s AI platform into its drug discovery operations.
