Orbit Discovery and WuXi AppTec sign agreement to access peptide discovery and optimisation technologies
Orbit Discovery, a ground-breaking peptide discovery company, and WuXi AppTec, a leading provider of R&D and manufacturing services for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, have formed a partnership wherein Orbit will combine its leading peptide discovery platform and experience with WuXi AppTec’s down-stream capabilities.
Specifically, Orbit gains access to WuXi AppTec’s expertise in peptide optimisation, peptide production and manufacturing to help its partners to rapidly obtain clinically relevant data packs and materials. Orbit will also utilise other capabilities within WuXi AppTec, in particular their expertise in cell line and assay development and biophysical analysis.
Incorporating these capabilities into the Orbit platform will enable functional assays to be developed against a wider range of targets, facilitating direct functional screens using novel bead-based technologies and microfluidics.
This is the first strategic technology link Orbit has penned since its formation in 2016.
Dr Neil Butt, Chief Executive Officer of Orbit Discovery, commented: “We aim to move Orbit to the forefront of peptide discovery, and relationships such as this help us leverage expertise that would take far longer to grow organically. We see the partnership with
WuXi AppTec as being a key relationship and a great asset to our current partners, and partners of the future.
“We see particular value in the development and manufacturing platform of WuXi AppTec, that will enable us to generate peptides at small or large scale that incorporate chemical modifications to facilitate peptide optimisations and the journey towards a therapeutic candidate.”
