Odyssey Thera Initiates Project With Pfizer Inc.
SAN RAMON, Calif., May 17 /PRNewswire/ — Odyssey Thera, Inc. announced today an expanded agreement with Pfizer Inc. to profile compounds across Odyssey Thera’s panel of cell-based assays in order to characterize mechanism of action and pathway activity in human cells.
Odyssey Thera’s patented Protein-fragment Complementation Assay (PCA) technology measures pathway activity within living cells and is applied across signaling pathways relevant to drug discovery in key therapeutic areas. Odyssey Thera probes the intricate biochemical networks of living cells to identify on-target and off-pathway activities of drugs and lead compounds. The company has validated this approach in its Known and Unknown Drug Optimization Strategy (KUDOS) program, which analyzed the mechanism of action of known drugs and known toxicants across distinct signaling nodes in human cells.
The project with Pfizer will focus on 500 compounds from multiple therapeutic areas. “By screening compounds across our panel of assays, we can identify and eliminate unanticipated activity much earlier in the drug discovery and development process, before significant resources are invested in pre-clinical and clinical activities,” says Dr. John Westwick, Odyssey Thera’s Chief Scientific Officer. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
About Odyssey Thera
Odyssey Thera, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company that utilizes a pathway-based approach to drug discovery in order to greatly improve the effectiveness and productivity of the drug development process. With an initial focus on anti-cancer agents, Odyssey Thera uses its proprietary Protein-fragment Complementation Assay (PCA) process and high throughput systems biology to improve the quality of information available about targets and lead compounds early in drug discovery and development. PCA combined with the use of living human cells instead of isolated proteins strengthens the predictive value of preclinical screening, significantly reducing the number of failures in drug discovery and improving pipelines and treatments for cancer and other diseases. For more information, please visit the company website at www.odysseythera.com.
