Ixsys: Synthesis over structure

A traditional hurdle in developing drugs has been identifying the molecule with the optimal therapeutic effect. Although several companies have attempted to overcome this problem by laboratory modifications such as antibody humanization, the optimization process has remained time-consuming, costly and complex. Often it still results in a protein or antibody with lower affinity for its target, high production costs and a poor therapeutic index.

With Ixsys Inc.'s Synthesis-Based Molecular Design (SBMD) technology, molecules are designed through the generation of focused combinatorial libraries based on the direct relationship that exists between the function of the molecules and their "synthetic pathway." The company exploits this pathway - the route between the reaction steps in the synthesis of molecules using combinatorial chemistry - to generate smaller libraries with significant synthetic diversity...