Molecular Partners AG is a clinical-stage

biopharmaceutical A biopharmaceutical, also known as a biological medical product, or biologic, is any pharmaceutical drug product manufactured in, extracted from, or semisynthesized from biological sources. Different from totally synthesized pharmaceuticals, t ...

company based in Zürich, Switzerland. The company is developing a new class of potent, specific and versatile small-protein therapies called

DARPin DARPins (an acronym for designed ankyrin repeat proteins) are genetically engineered antibody mimetic proteins typically exhibiting highly specific and high-affinity target protein binding. They are derived from natural ankyrin repeat proteins, on ...

s, with potential clinical applications in a range of disease areas including

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

immuno-oncology Cancer immunotherapy (sometimes called immuno-oncology) is the stimulation of the immune system to treat cancer, improving on the immune system's natural ability to fight the disease. It is an application of the fundamental research of cancer ...

ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

, and infectious diseases. Molecular Partners currently has two DARPin molecules in clinical development, and a broad pipeline of molecules in

preclinical development In drug development, preclinical development, also termed preclinical studies or nonclinical studies, is a stage of research that begins before clinical trials (testing in humans) and during which important feasibility, iterative testing and drug ...

.Molecular Partners Interim Management Statement Q1 2021

History

Researchers at the

University of Zürich The University of Zürich (UZH, german: Universität Zürich) is a public research university located in the city of Zürich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 f ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

formed Molecular Partners AG in 2004 while studying monoclonal antibodies. These scientists discovered and developed the DARPin technology and launched the company using this platform. Molecular Partners became a publicly traded company in November 2014, when it was listed on the

SIX Swiss Exchange SIX Swiss Exchange (formerly SWX Swiss Exchange), based in Zurich, is Switzerland's principal stock exchange (the other being Berne eXchange). SIX Swiss Exchange also trades other security (finance), securities such as Swiss government bonds and d ...

(ticker MOLN). Since July 2021, the company is also listed on the Nasdaq in the US under the ticker symbol MOLN.

DARPins

DARPins are

genetically engineered Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including t ...

antibody mimetic Antibody mimetics are organic compounds that, like antibodies, can specifically bind antigens, but that are not structurally related to antibodies. They are usually artificial peptides or proteins with a molar mass of about 3 to 20 kDa. (Antibo ...

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

s typically exhibiting highly specific and high-affinity target protein binding. They are derived from natural

ankyrin repeat The ankyrin repeat is a 33-residue motif in proteins consisting of two alpha helices separated by loops, first discovered in signaling proteins in yeast Cdc10 and ''Drosophila'' Notch. Domains consisting of ankyrin tandem repeats mediate prote ...

proteins. Repeat proteins are among the most common classes of binding proteins in nature, responsible for diverse functions such as cell signaling and receptor binding. DARPins constitute a new class of potent, specific and versatile small-protein therapies, and are used as investigational tools in various

therapeutic A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

and

diagnostic Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of a certain phenomenon. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines, with variations in the use of logic, analytics, and experience, to determine " cause and effect". In systems engine ...

applications. The simplest format of a DARPin is the mono-DARPin, consisting of one DARPin domain with specificity for one target. The

molecular mass The molecular mass (''m'') is the mass of a given molecule: it is measured in daltons (Da or u). Different molecules of the same compound may have different molecular masses because they contain different isotopes of an element. The related quanti ...

of a mono-DARPin is about 15 to 20 kDa ( kilodaltons), depending on the exact design. Several mono-DARPins can be linked (genetically or chemically) to multi-DARPins, which then combine multiple activities in one therapy. This approach enables the design of medicines that can inhibit multiple disease-specific targets and may improve outcomes for patients living with cancer, ophthalmic diseases and other disorders. Currently, Molecular Partners has two DARPin molecules in clinical development and a broad pipeline of molecules in preclinical development.

Areas of Focus

Molecular Partners is currently focusing its DARPin platform on the fields of oncology, immuno-oncology, ophthalmology, and infectious diseases.

Partnerships/Business Development

Molecular Partners has negotiated three agreements with

Allergan Allergan plc is an American, Irish-domiciled pharmaceutical company that acquires, develops, manufactures and markets brand name drugs and medical devices in the areas of medical aesthetics, eye care, central nervous system, and gastroenterology. ...

to develop therapies for ophthalmology (including abicipar), one in 2011Allergan Licenses Molecular Partners’ Phase II Eye Disease Protein Therapeutic for $45M
. Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News. May 4, 2011. and two in 2012.Molecular Partners Gets $62.5M as Allergan Repeats on Darpins
. Bioworld. August 21, 2012. In 2011, the company licensed its lead asset back then, abicipar, to Allergan. In 2012, Molecular Partners and Allergan expanded their relationship by signing two separate new agreements to discover, develop, and commercialize proprietary therapeutic DARPin products for the treatment of serious ophthalmic diseases. Since the company's inception in 2004, Molecular Partners licensed additional DARPin candidates to other leading international pharmaceutical companies, such as Amgen, Roche or Janssen. In October 2020, as part of a joint venture to develop therapeutic drugs to combat

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant

Novartis Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loc ...

bought 6% of all shares outstanding in Molecular Partners at 23 CHF a share.Global Legal Chronicle
Molecular Partners Option and License Agreement with Novartis (30 October 2020)

References

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External links

Molecular Partners official website
Biopharmaceutical companies Pharmaceutical companies of Switzerland Biotechnology companies of Switzerland Biotechnology companies established in 2004 Pharmaceutical companies established in 2004 Swiss companies established in 2004 Companies listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange Companies listed on the Nasdaq 2021 initial public offerings Companies based in Zürich