Forma: Stereocentric discovery

Studying protein-protein interactions and targeting them with drugs has been difficult because screening methods change the active conformations of the proteins and thus their physiological function. Forma Therapeutics Inc. is hoping to combine capabilities in computational chemistry, protein crystallography and diversity-oriented synthesis to discover compounds that target these and other challenging targets for cancer and infectious diseases.

The newco has already granted Novartis AG an exclusive option to a research program for cancer and was set to announce a deal on Monday this week with Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. to discover a novel class of antibacterial agents...