Spiegelmers, from the German word spiegel – meaning mirror, exhibit high specificity and affinity and are not subject to degradation by nucleases.
In addition, the two companies entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement relating to Noxxon’s preclinical lead spiegelmer for treating obesity.
By screening extensive nucleic acid libraries, Noxxon identifies spiegelmers that bind to the target molecule in a manner conceptually similar to antibodies.
Under both agreements, Pfizer will make upfront cash payments as well as R&D milestone payments. In addition, Noxxon is eligible to receive royalties on the sale of products commercialized under these agreements. Pfizer will also make an equity investment in the German company.
Noxxon will use its spiegelmer technology to create product candidates to disease-associated targets identified by Pfizer. The US drug giants will have the option to select up to three targets per year to collaborate on with Noxxon.
Noxxon also granted to Pfizer an exclusive worldwide license to NOX-B11, a ghrelin binding spiegelmer that was shown to curb ghrelin-mediated appetite and caused weight loss in preclinical animal studies. Pfizer will be responsible for the worldwide development and commercialization of NOX-B11 and other future products developed under the collaboration.
“The collaboration underscores Pfizer’s commitment to entering into alliances with partners who are working with unique scientific discovery platforms. As a substance class, spiegelmers are the next generation aptamers. They hold promise as a new therapeutic modality for treating numerous diseases,” commented Thomas Klein, CEO of Noxxon.