Bigger is better

X-Chem Inc. has developed a screening platform and library of DNA-encoded small molecules that enable the identification of high-quality lead candidates against difficult targets. So far, the platform has yielded a handful of discovery deals, including two that have resulted in licenses to small molecule candidates.

Most recently, on Feb. 13, X-Chem announced that Bayer AG licensed an undisclosed number of compounds discovered under a 2012 deal. The compounds inhibit an undisclosed epigenetic target.

The attraction of DNA-encoded platforms over traditional libraries is that they allow simultaneous screening of very large numbers of molecules against a target of interest, because each molecule is tagged with a unique DNA barcode sequence that can be used to identify that particular molecule.

In a binding assay interrogating a mixture of compounds, non-binders can be washed away and hits detected using PCR