Hybrigenics escape route

Proteomics company Hybrigenics S.A. last week said it divested two of its three discovery programs to focus on bringing ubiquitin-specific protease inhibitors into clinical development for cancer. The company will continue developing an in-licensed vitamin D analog for prostate cancer, which is in Phase I trials, but otherwise will focus its efforts entirely on USP inhibitors. The most advanced one is in preclinical testing for various cancers.

USPs are a family of enzymes that are attracting the interest of big pharma, said CEO Remi Delansorne. "Novartis recently published a patent on a USP, and we have had contact with two other big pharma companies that also are running early stage programs on USPs."...