Cumulus Oncology and leadXpro Reach Key Milestone in GPR68 Drug Discovery

Cumulus Oncology, recognized as Europe’s pioneering biotech company dedicated to oncology, has announced significant progress in its collaborative venture with leadXpro (LXP). This partnership focuses on the GPR68 drug discovery project driven by protein structure. As a milestone achievement, Cumulus has now licensed the small molecule compounds and associated intellectual property (IP) developed during this cooperation, intending to advance the program through lead optimization and subsequent stages.

Initiated in July 2023, the collaboration between Cumulus Oncology and LXP aimed at developing small molecules targeting GPR68, a crucial proton-sensing G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). Utilizing state-of-the-art computational, biophysical, and structural biology technologies, LXP achieved a groundbreaking feat by solving high-resolution antagonist protein structures of GPR68. This accomplishment expedited the compound design process, enabling the identification of a series of potent and selective small molecules for therapeutic intervention in cancer and inflammation within a year. Consequently, this led to the current licensing agreement. The focus will now shift to an accelerated drug optimization phase, leveraging advanced rational drug design and computational methodologies.

LXP will benefit from future commercial revenues related to this project, though specific financial details remain undisclosed. Moving forward, Cumulus plans to seek regulatory approval to commence clinical development via its Swiss-based portfolio company, GIO Therapeutics. This company has been established specifically to develop a portfolio targeting GPCRs, with the GPR68 project being its inaugural program.

Clare Wareing, CEO of Cumulus Oncology, emphasized the importance of this collaboration, highlighting the expertise of the LeadXpro team in GPCR drug discovery and membrane protein structure analysis. She noted that the achievements of this partnership exemplify the Cumulus model, which is characterized by a platform and modality-agnostic approach to identifying and developing new therapeutic targets and assets. According to Wareing, the goal is to transform treatment options for patients inadequately served by existing therapies. Upon reaching critical development milestones, these assets are advanced within new companies created and managed by Cumulus.

Michael Hennig, Co-founder, CEO, and Chairman of the Board at leadXpro, also expressed satisfaction with the collaboration's success. He praised the effective partnership with Cumulus Oncology and the shared passion for structure-based drug discovery. Hennig highlighted the rapid progress achieved through combined expertise in medicinal and computational chemistry, biophysics, and structural biology. He looked forward to continuing the productive relationship on this crucial proton-sensing GPCR project, underscoring the potential of this partnership to set new standards in structure-based drug design for novel membrane protein targets.

Cumulus Oncology stands out as Europe’s first biotech company creation factory focused on developing innovative therapeutics. The company sources oncology assets from various academic, commercial, and internal channels. A significant aspect of their business model is the early identification of molecularly selected patient sub-groups. Incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) platforms, Cumulus prioritizes targets and assets to build targeted patient sub-group hypotheses.

The company manages two spinout companies: Nodus Oncology, which focuses on a DDR portfolio with a lead asset being a PARG inhibitor, and GIO Therapeutics AG, launched in 2024 to develop GPCR-targeting therapeutics for oncology and inflammation. Cumulus provides early-stage capital and expertise in oncology drug development, guiding each spinout company to achieve significant development milestones and value inflection points. The Cumulus team brings extensive experience in drug discovery and development, with a history of successful drug approvals over the past two decades.

Meanwhile, leadXpro AG specializes in structure-based drug discovery for membrane proteins, which are promising yet challenging drug targets. The company combines specialized protein science knowledge with pioneering structural biology technologies and expertise in ligand design and characterization. LeadXpro collaborates with multiple pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic partners, focusing its research on GPCRs, ion channels, transporters, and enzymes. Targeting proton-sensing G protein-coupled receptors, these transmembrane receptors detect environmental acidity changes and relay this information into the cell, which can be co-opted by cancerous cells to thrive in acidic conditions. These receptors represent an underutilized class of therapeutic targets.