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SAN DIEGO, Oct. 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- aTyr Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: LIFE) (aTyr or “the Company”), a biotherapeutics company engaged in the discovery and development of first-in-class medicines from its proprietary tRNA synthetase platform, today announced that it has entered into a research collaboration with Dualsystems Biotech AG, a company specializing in custom proteomics, aimed at accelerating drug discovery and generating new therapeutics based on aTyr’s extensive intellectual property (IP) portfolio. Under the collaboration, which is exclusive with respect to tRNA related molecules, Dualsystems will utilize their proprietary receptor screening technology and research expertise to attempt to identify and validate 10 new target receptors for tRNA synthetases by 2025. “We are delighted to build upon the impactful discovery work that we have accomplished with Dualsystems thus far,” said Sanjay S. Shukla, M.D., M.S., President and Chief Executive Officer of aTyr. “We were impressed with the work that this highly specialized company conducted to identify fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) as the target receptor for a fragment of alanyl-tRNA synthetase (AARS), and we are eager for them to showcase their cutting-edge technology further by applying it to additional tRNA synthetases from our IP. We look forward to discoveries from this collaboration as a way to potentially accelerate drug discovery efforts and identify new drugs from our platform.” aTyr has built an IP estate of over 200 issued patents to date with a goal to create a strategic boundary around the company’s foundational science and library of extracellular tRNA synthetase protein fragments. This library encompasses fragments from all 20 human tRNA synthetases and emphasizes those that are most likely to be therapeutically viable based on understood connections to human disease. aTyr’s approach is to elucidate the unique signaling pathways modulated by these tRNA synthetase fragments and create new biologic therapies based on that understanding. Identifying specific receptor targets for the different tRNA synthetase fragments is a key step in this process. “We are very pleased to work in collaboration with aTyr to maximize the capabilities of our innovative proprietary screening technology and internal expertise to help potentially generate new therapeutic opportunities from their unique discovery platform,” said Paul Helbing, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Dualsystems Biotech. The company recently announced the target receptor for a fragment derived from the tRNA synthetase AARS as FGFR4, which was identified using Dualsystems’ screening technology. aTyr intends to interrogate the interaction between this fragment of AARS and FGFR4 to determine potential therapeutic indications. About aTyr aTyr is a biotherapeutics company engaged in the discovery and development of first-in-class medicines from its proprietary tRNA synthetase platform. aTyr’s research and development efforts are concentrated on a newly discovered area of biology, the extracellular functionality and signaling pathways of tRNA synthetases. aTyr has built a global intellectual property estate directed to a potential pipeline of protein compositions derived from 20 tRNA synthetase genes and their extracellular targets. aTyr’s primary focus is efzofitimod, a clinical-stage product candidate which binds to the neuropilin-2 receptor and is designed to downregulate immune engagement in fibrotic lung disease. For more information, please visit www.atyrpharma.com. About Dualsystems Biotech AG Dualsystems Biotech is a privately held biotechnology company established in 2006 as a spin-off from the University Zurich, Switzerland. Dualsystems has positioned itself as a leading provider of screening services to the international research community in the pharmaceutical, biotech, agrochemical and cosmetic industries as well as academia. Dualsystems Biotech’s unique and comprehensive screening platforms enable the identification of small molecule-protein and protein-protein interactions in any cellular setting. Dualsystems Biotech’s drug and target profiling technologies have significant advantages in cost, speed and sensitivity compare to similar screening technologies for small molecules currently available. They are a powerful tool to accelerate drug target discovery and elucidation of mechanism of action and off-target effect identification in key therapeutic areas. For more information about Dualsystems Biotech please visit www.dualsystems.com.

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fast-tracks idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis treatment DWN12088 First-in-class new drug to quickly take on the pulmonary fibrosis market, predicted to reach $6.1 billion globally by 2030 SEOUL, South Korea, July 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As many Korean pharmaceutical manufacturers are currently attempting to develop new drugs for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, Daewoong Pharmaceutical's new medication DWN12088 has been fast-tracked by the American FDA, the first time a Korean pharma company has been awarded this status. Daewoong Pharmaceutical (CEO Seng-Ho Jeon/Chang-Jae Lee) announced on the 19th that DWN12088, its new treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis currently under development, has been selected by the FDA for its rapid drug screening process (fast-track). Daewoong Pharmaceutical Gets First Korean US FDA Fast-Track for New Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Drug Daewoong Pharmaceutical Gets First Korean US FDA Fast-Track for New Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Drug Drugs approved for fast-tracking are developed with close collaboration with the FDA at each stage of the development process, including consultation on clinical trial design and advice on data collected. Accelerated approval and priority review can also be requested once the second phase is complete, meaning Daewoong's idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis treatment DWN12088 will likely be developed more quickly. Daewoong plans to take this fast-track opportunity to become a game changer in this field by rapidly advancing into the worldwide idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis treatment market more quickly with strong growth each year. According to Research and Markets, a global market research organization, the idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis treatment market is showing high growth of 7% annually and is forecast to reach $6.1 billion by 2030. The FDA designates fast-track items to promote the development and screening of drugs that can meet the currently unmet medical demands and treat severe diseases. For DWN12088, which was chosen to be fast-tracked based on its clinical Phase 1 results showing excellent antifibrotic effects and lung function improvement, high expectations and interest can be expected worldwide in the future. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a lung disease, which causes the lungs to slowly harden and lose their function due to the excessive creation of fibroid tissue. It is a rare, difficult-to-treat disease with a five-year survival rate of less than 40%. Thus far, treatments for this disease by multinational pharmaceutical makers have failed to completely stop its progress and their treatment abandonment rate is high due to side effects, meaning there is a great medical demand that remains unmet. DWN12088 is the world's first Prolyl-tRNA Synthetase (PRS)-inhibiting antifibrotic drug and is being developed by Daewoong Pharmaceutical itself. It reduces the effects of the PRS protein, which affects collagen creation, to inhibit excess production of collagen, the cause of fibrosis. DWN12088 received idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Phase 2 IND approval from the FDA last June and was designated an orphan drug in 2019. Daewoong CEO Seng-Ho Jeon commented, "Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a disease with high unmet medical needs despite the existence of treatments. Daewoong Pharmaceutical will work closely with the FDA to accelerate development and will do its utmost so that this innovative drug can be commercialized as soon as possible." SOURCE Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd