Nautilus reaches first Serono deal milestone

The development of the next-generation human growth hormone (hGH) may allow less frequent injections of this important therapeutic protein, which is currently administered daily.

Using its protein evolution technology, Nautilus has designed, generated and tested in vitro a series of proprietary variants of hGH. Each of the hGH variants carries a specific point mutation, which protects the hGH molecule from proteolytic degradation while retaining the potency of native hGH.

Serono and Nautilus will jointly characterize the pharmacokinetic profile and biological activity of the selected variants in animal models of growth hormone deficiency.

Under the terms of the agreement, Nautilus will receive a payment for achieving this first milestone. Serono has been granted the exclusive right to license variants of the hGH protein generated by Nautilus.

“We are very pleased that Nautilus technology has generated hGH molecules with increased resistance to proteolysis in vitro,” said Dr Lila Drittanti, head of R&D at Nautilus. “We are excited at being able to move together so quickly to validation in vivo, which is a key step in defining the profile of a potential next-generation hGH.”