Outrun Therapeutics, a Dundee, Scotland, UK-based E3 ligase inhibitor and protein stabilisation developer, raised $10M in Seed funding.
Backers included M Ventures and MP Healthcare Venture Management.
The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its R&D sector.
Led by CEO Dr Carolyn Porter, Outrun has developed a proprietary platform which allows a quantitative assessment of the specificity and selectivity of E3 ligase targets, thereby reducing the discovery time for E3 ligase inhibitors, improving specificity and target binding. Furthermore, it uses engineered protein sensors (EPS) to uncover the detailed biochemistry of E3 ligases, enabling discovery of drugs with potentially superior binding, specificity, and activity. Outrun’s approach is a scalable and modular strategy for developing small molecule drugs targeting E3 ligases, particularly inhibitors that stabilise proteins.
Commenting on the news, Dr Carolyn Porter said: “Protein stabilisation is the mirror image of protein degradation and seeks to maintain the levels of critical proteins that are otherwise unbalanced in certain diseases, disrupting the body’s highly sophisticated natural disease suppression processes. We are bringing our world class knowledge of E3 ligase biology and protein-to-protein interactions, combined with our proprietary discovery platform, to unlock the potential of this exciting new therapeutic area.”
FinSMEs
18/04/2024