Nimbus Therapeutics Appoints Veteran Pharmaceutical Chemist Scott Edmondson, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President, Head of Chemistry

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – September 1, 2020 – Nimbus Therapeutics, a biotechnology company designing breakthrough medicines through structure-based drug discovery and development, today announced that it has appointed Scott Edmondson, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President, Head of Chemistry. Dr. Edmondson’s accomplished tenure in the biopharma industry, most recently as the Director and Head of Boston Oncology Chemistry at AstraZeneca, will be an asset in Nimbus’ work to advance therapeutic candidates for its recently expanded portfolio of promising targets across oncology, immunology and metabolism.

“We’re delighted to welcome Scott to Nimbus at such an exciting period of growth for the company,” said Peter Tummino, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Nimbus. “Scott’s extensive experience at building and leading world-class chemistry teams will be incredibly valuable as we progress our discovery efforts and lay the groundwork for our next generation of important small molecule therapeutics.”

Prior to joining Nimbus, Dr. Edmondson was the Director and Head of Boston Oncology Chemistry at AstraZeneca. In that role he oversaw recruiting, management and strategic direction for a team of over 30 chemists as well as management of an external international team of chemists. Previously, Dr. Edmondson was at Merck for 18 years in positions of ascending leadership, culminating in his role as Director of Discovery Chemistry. Over the course of his career at Merck, he led multiple cross-functional and cross-site teams as well as external collaborations. Dr. Edmondson has co-authored more than 50 publications and 55 patents. He holds a B.A. in chemistry from Cornell University, a Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry from The Ohio State University and completed a postdoc at Columbia University as an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow.

“I’m excited to join this exceptional team of drug hunters,” said Dr. Edmondson. “Nimbus’ unique position at the nexus of structural biology, computational chemistry and molecular sciences has driven the company’s long history of successes, and I’m eager to help lead the discovery efforts that will shape the company’s promising future pipeline.”

About Nimbus Therapeutics

Nimbus Therapeutics designs breakthrough medicines. Utilizing its powerful structure-based drug discovery engine, Nimbus designs potent and selective small molecule compounds targeting proteins that are known to be fundamental drivers of pathology in highly prevalent human diseases and which have proven difficult for other drug makers to tackle. The company’s LLC/subsidiary architecture enables diverse and synergistic partnerships to deliver breakthrough medicines. Nimbus is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. www.nimbustx.com.

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Lisa Raffensperger, (617) 903-8783
Ten Bridge Communications
lisa@tenbridgecommunications.com

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Nimbus Therapeutics Presents Data on Novel HPK1 Inhibitor, Demonstrating Robust Inhibition of Tumor Growth In Vivo

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – June 22, 2020 – Nimbus Therapeutics, a biotechnology company designing breakthrough medicines through structure-based drug discovery and development, today presented a poster at the AACR Virtual Annual Meeting II detailing promising preclinical findings from the company’s HPK1 pipeline program.

Nimbus developed multiple selective small-molecule inhibitors of HPK1 using the company’s proven structure-based drug discovery engine. The lead compound, NMBS-1, displays very high selectivity against T cell-specific kinases and kinases in the MAP4K family and promising activity in in vitro and in vivo models. NMBS-1 enhanced IL-2 production from stimulated human T cells, alleviated PGE2-mediated immunosuppression of T cell activation, and enhanced IL-6 production, proliferation, and IgG secretion from B cells. In a mouse syngeneic tumor model, oral administration of NMBS-1 resulted in significant tumor growth inhibition, both as a monotherapy and in combination with anti-CTLA4.

“These data are further evidence that HPK1 inhibition is a potentially powerful approach to achieve anti-tumor immunity — and we’re very pleased that our small-molecule inhibitor displays the selectivity that has long been a challenge for drug makers in this space,” said Peter Tummino, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Nimbus. “We will continue rapidly advancing our preclinical studies, with the goal of initiating a first-in-human trial next year.”

The poster is titled “A Highly Selective and Potent HPK1 Inhibitor Enhances Immune Cell Activation and Induces Robust Tumor Growth Inhibition in a Syngeneic Tumor Model.”

 The company will be hosting a webcast to further discuss these data on Thursday, June 25, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET. If you wish to attend the live webcast, please pre-register at https://bit.ly/NimbusHPK1Seminar. A replay of the webcast will be available at this link after the event. 

About Nimbus Therapeutics 

Nimbus Therapeutics designs breakthrough medicines. Utilizing its powerful structure-based drug discovery engine, Nimbus designs potent and selective small molecule compounds targeting proteins that are known to be fundamental drivers of pathology in highly prevalent human diseases and which have proven difficult for other drug makers to tackle. The company’s LLC/subsidiary architecture enables diverse and synergistic partnerships to deliver breakthrough medicines. Nimbus is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. www.nimbustx.com 

Media Contact

Lisa Raffensperger, (617) 903-8783
Ten Bridge Communications
lisa@tenbridgecommunications.com

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Nimbus Therapeutics to Host Scientific Seminar on Promising Preclinical Data from HPK1 Program

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – June 18, 2020 – Nimbus Therapeutics, a biotechnology company designing breakthrough medicines through structure-based drug discovery and development, will host a webcast seminar to discuss the latest data from its HPK1 program on Thursday, June 25, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET.

The seminar will feature presentations by Nimbus’ scientific leadership that give a brief overview of the company’s discovery pipeline and a deeper dive on data contained in the company’s poster presentation at the AACR Virtual Annual Meeting II, June 22-24. The included data detail Nimbus’ identification of an HPK1 inhibitor with highly potent and selective anti-tumor activity in preclinical models.

If you wish to attend the live webcast, please pre-register at https://bit.ly/NimbusHPK1Seminar. A replay of the webcast will be available at this link after the event.

About Nimbus Therapeutics 

Nimbus Therapeutics designs breakthrough medicines. Utilizing its powerful structure-based drug discovery engine, Nimbus designs potent and selective small molecule compounds targeting proteins that are known to be fundamental drivers of pathology in highly prevalent human diseases and which have proven difficult for other drug makers to tackle. The company’s LLC/subsidiary architecture enables diverse and synergistic partnerships to deliver breakthrough medicines. Nimbus is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. www.nimbustx.com

Media Contact

Lisa Raffensperger, (617) 903-8783
Ten Bridge Communications
lisa@tenbridgecommunications.com

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Nimbus Therapeutics Announces Expansion of its Drug Discovery Pipeline Across Oncology, Immunology and Metabolism

AMPKβ2, CTPS1, Cbl-b and WRN are highly promising targets for Nimbus’ structure-based drug discovery approach

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – June 8, 2020 – Nimbus Therapeutics, a biotechnology company designing breakthrough medicines through structure-based drug discovery and development, announced the expansion of the company’s pipeline of small molecule candidates across a range of highly prevalent human diseases. These preclinical programs — AMPKβ2 (AMP-activated protein kinase, β2 subunit), CTPS1 (CTP synthase 1), Cbl-b (Cbl proto-oncogene B), and WRN (Werner syndrome ATP-dependent helicase) — represent promising targets across oncology, immunology and metabolism, for which Nimbus’ structure-based discovery approaches are uniquely suited.

“The additional programs we’re unveiling today are a testament to Nimbus’ exceptional talent, the unwavering support of our investors, and the dynamic scientific collaborations we have built over the past decade,” said Jeb Keiper, M.S., MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Nimbus. “Our prolific pipeline reflects the breadth of potential we see for our discovery engine going forward, and a new chapter in Nimbus’ leadership of structure-based drug discovery. We look forward to progressing these programs forward to the clinic within our development organization, which advanced our ACC inhibitor to an early proof of mechanism and is currently progressing our Tyk2 inhibitor toward Phase II.”

“With the addition of these targets, we’ve built a pipeline of promising therapeutics for the treatment of patients with diseases that have limited or no therapeutic options,” said Peter Tummino, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Nimbus. “Each of these targets represents the ‘sweet spot’ for Nimbus’ approach — they are known to be fundamental drivers of highly prevalent diseases but have proven difficult for the industry to drug. As we have demonstrated with our progress on HPK1, which is being presented at AACR this month, we believe our structure-based drug discovery engine can generate the potent, selective small molecule therapeutics needed to move the needle on these targets.”

A brief overview of our newly disclosed programs follows:

  • AMPKβ2 for cellular metabolic regulation
    AMPK is a kinase that serves as a critical regulator of energy-sensing and metabolic homeostasis in many tissues. Small molecule activation of AMPK has long been recognized as a potential strategy to treat multiple metabolic disorders and other pathologies. Nimbus’ approach leverages new understandings in AMPK subunit structure to identify activators selective for the AMPKβ2 subtype of the protein to improve glucose and lipid homeostasis, while reducing undesired effects.
  • CTPS1 for controlling immune activation
    CTPS1 is a key enzyme in the pyrimidine synthesis pathway in lymphocytes, making it a drug target for autoimmune diseases and cancer. Selective inhibitors of CTPS1 hold promise for attenuating lymphocyte proliferation and providing effective treatments for T and B cell-driven diseases. Nimbus is using structure-based and other computational chemistry approaches to identify small molecules that are highly potent inhibitors of CTPS1 with selectivity over CTPS2.
  • Cbl-b for enhancing immune sensitivity in cancer
    Cbl-b is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that directs the degradation of signaling proteins across a variety of immune cells. Cbl-b is a well-validated immuno-oncology target, given that Cbl-b knockout mice spontaneously reject tumors with enhanced T and NK cell responses, and Cbl-b deficient T cells can be activated in the absence of co-stimulatory signals. Nimbus is pursuing a structure-based approach to designing inhibitors of Cbl-b that can enhance anti-tumor immunity.
  • WRN as a selective approach to targeting MSI-high tumors
    WRN, a helicase required for DNA replication and repair, is a validated target for treating microsatellite-instability high tumors (“MSI-H tumors”). Pharmacological inhibition of helicases has proven difficult in the past, but WRN is now amenable to structural biology approaches, allowing Nimbus to design both active-site and allosteric inhibitors of WRN that should induce synthetic lethality in tumors with microsatellite instability. 

About Nimbus Therapeutics 

Nimbus Therapeutics designs breakthrough medicines. Utilizing its powerful structure-based drug discovery engine, Nimbus designs potent and selective small molecule compounds targeting proteins that are known to be fundamental drivers of pathology in highly prevalent human diseases and which have proven difficult for other drug makers to tackle. The company’s LLC/subsidiary architecture enables diverse and synergistic partnerships to deliver breakthrough medicines. Nimbus is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. www.nimbustx.com

Media Contact

Lisa Raffensperger, (617) 903-8783
Ten Bridge Communications
lisa@tenbridgecommunications.com

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Nimbus Therapeutics Announces Promotion of Alan Collis, Ph.D., to Senior Vice President, Preclinical Development

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – May 29, 2020 – Nimbus Therapeutics, a biotechnology company designing breakthrough medicines through structure-based drug discovery and development, today announced the promotion of Alan Collis, Ph.D., to Senior Vice President, Preclinical Development.

“Alan’s leadership has been integral to the robust progress of Nimbus’ pipeline in recent years, including the successful completion of preclinical development of our Tyk2 allosteric inhibitor, and the generation of promising preclinical data from our HPK1 program, which will be showcased at the AACR Virtual Annual Meeting next month,” said Peter J. Tummino, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Nimbus. “Additionally, Nimbus will soon be announcing new preclinical programs for a number of valuable targets, and we’re excited that this expanded pipeline will continue to benefit from Alan’s broad expertise and leadership.”

“Nimbus’ success is a product not just of our structure-based drug discovery platform, but the powerful combination of that technology with our team’s deep expertise in biopharmaceutical drug development. Alan’s impact at Nimbus perfectly reflects the two successfully coming together,” said Annie C. Chen, M.D., MPH, Chief Medical Officer of Nimbus and President of the company’s Tyk2 subsidiary, Nimbus Lakshmi, Inc. “We heartily congratulate him on this well-deserved promotion.”

Dr. Collis joined Nimbus in 2018 to lead the company’s Tyk2 program, and was appointed Vice President, Preclinical Development, in early 2019. Prior to joining Nimbus, he was Executive Director of DMPK at Forma Therapeutics, in which role he transitioned two projects into Phase II, four through IND, and five through preclinical profiling. Before that, Dr. Collis served as Novartis’ Executive Director of Scientific and Strategic Planning and Global Leader of the Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics group. In that role, he advised on all aspects of project strategy, compound progression, and business planning. Earlier in his career, Dr. Collis held significant leadership roles in medicinal chemistry in the large pharma settings of Aventis, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, and Pfizer.

About Nimbus Therapeutics

Nimbus Therapeutics designs breakthrough medicines. Utilizing its powerful structure-based drug discovery engine, Nimbus designs potent and selective small molecule compounds targeting proteins that are known to be fundamental drivers of pathology in highly prevalent human diseases and which have proven difficult for other drug makers to tackle. The company’s LLC/subsidiary architecture enables diverse and synergistic partnerships to deliver breakthrough medicines. Nimbus is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. www.nimbustx.com

Media Contact

Lisa Raffensperger, (617) 903-8783
Ten Bridge Communications
lisa@tenbridgecommunications.com

 

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Nimbus Therapeutics Announces Identification of a Potent, Selective HPK1 Inhibitor with Robust In Vivo Activity

Data to be presented at 2020 AACR Annual Meeting show HPK1 inhibition produced robust anti-tumor response in mouse model

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – May 15, 2020 – Nimbus Therapeutics, a biotechnology company designing breakthrough medicines through structure-based drug discovery and development, today announced the identification of an HPK1 inhibitor with highly potent and selective anti-tumor activity in preclinical models. The data will be presented at the AACR Virtual Annual Meeting II, June 22-24, 2020.

HPK1 (hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1) is a highly valued target in immuno-oncology due to its role as a regulator of both T cell and dendritic cell activity. However, a key challenge for development of small molecules acting on HPK1 has been to achieve selectivity against other T cell kinases and MAP4K family members. Nimbus utilized its unique structure-based drug discovery engine to identify multiple potent and selective small molecule inhibitors of HPK1. One of these molecules, advanced to in vivo testing, has high selectivity against T cell-specific kinases and kinases in the MAP4K family and exhibits promising activation of human T cells and B cells. In a mouse syngeneic tumor model, oral administration of the HPK1 inhibitor completely eliminated HPK1’s phosphorylation of the T cell receptor, enhanced inflammatory cytokine production, and demonstrated robust tumor growth inhibition.

“We’re excited to pull back the curtain on Nimbus’ HPK1 program and share some of the progress we’ve made against a target that has evaded so many others’ efforts,” said Jeb Keiper, M.S., MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Nimbus. “Nimbus’ unparalleled expertise in structure-based drug discovery allowed us to chart an entirely new approach to inhibiting HPK1. In addition, we have recently leveraged this approach to generate small molecules against a range of promising new targets, and we look forward to sharing details on these programs in the coming weeks.”

“These data support the potential of our HPK1 inhibitor to alter the tumor microenvironment to halt cancer’s immune evasion, which we think could be a powerful tool in today’s immuno-oncology arsenal,” said Peter Tummino, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Nimbus. “We are advancing this program into IND-enabling studies, with the goal of entering the clinic next year, and ultimately providing a new therapeutic approach to address the large unmet need among patients with cancer.” 

About Nimbus Therapeutics 

Nimbus Therapeutics designs breakthrough medicines. Utilizing its powerful structure-based drug discovery engine, Nimbus designs potent and selective small molecule compounds targeting proteins that are known to be fundamental drivers of pathology in highly prevalent human diseases and which have proven difficult for other drug makers to tackle. The company’s LLC/subsidiary architecture enables diverse and synergistic partnerships to deliver breakthrough medicines. Nimbus is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. www.nimbustx.com

Media Contact

Lisa Raffensperger, (617) 903-8783
Ten Bridge Communications
lisa@tenbridgecommunications.com

 

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Nimbus Therapeutics Appoints Chief Medical Officer Annie C. Chen, M.D., MPH, to President of the Company’s Tyk2 Subsidiary

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – December 17, 2019 – Nimbus Therapeutics, a biotechnology company coupling targets selected based on causal human biology with structure-based drug discovery and development, today announced the promotion of Chief Medical Officer, Annie C. Chen, M.D., MPH, to President of the company’s Tyk2 subsidiary, Nimbus Lakshmi, Inc. In this role, Dr. Chen will provide executive leadership for financial, business, and development activities associated with the company’s tyrosine kinase 2 (Tyk2) program, in addition to continuing her role as Chief Medical Officer for Nimbus Therapeutics.

“We’re at a very exciting juncture as Nimbus gears up to once again become a clinical-stage company, and there is no better person to helm that effort than Annie,” said Jeb Keiper, M.S., MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Nimbus. “Annie’s extensive background in immunology, her experience leading clinical strategy to bring multiple therapies forward to regulatory approval, and her passionate dedication as a clinician to the well-being of her patients will be of enormous value to our Tyk2 program as it advances into the clinic.”

“Tyk2 is a genetically validated target for the treatment of many autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, and through Nimbus’ structure-based drug discovery efforts, we have developed promising allosteric modulators that effectively inhibit this target,” said Dr. Chen. “I’m honored to lead these multidisciplinary efforts for Nimbus as we initiate clinical studies and chart the program’s future path.”

Dr. Chen, who received her medical training as an adult rheumatologist, has served as Chief Medical Officer of Nimbus since 2015. She provided oversight for the company’s acetyl CoA carboxylase clinical program for NASH and supported business development and financing efforts, before its acquisition by Gilead. Prior to joining Nimbus, Dr. Chen was Executive Director of Clinical Research, Section Head of Vaccines at Merck and Co., where she oversaw clinical research activities for a broad portfolio of vaccines, from discovery through registration and life cycle management. Dr. Chen also held the role of Section Head of Immunology, where she oversaw clinical research for small molecule and protein therapeutics. Prior to Merck, Dr. Chen held roles of increasing responsibility at Genentech, and began her career at Celera Genomics.

About Nimbus Therapeutics

Nimbus Therapeutics designs breakthrough medicines. Utilizing its powerful structure-based drug discovery engine, Nimbus designs potent and selective small molecule compounds targeting proteins that are known to be fundamental drivers of pathology in highly prevalent human diseases and that have proven difficult for other drug makers to tackle. The company’s LLC/subsidiary architecture enables diverse and synergistic partnerships to deliver breakthrough medicines. Nimbus is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, please visit www.nimbustx.com.

Media Contact

Lisa Raffensperger, (617) 903-8783
Ten Bridge Communications
lisa@tenbridgecommunications.com

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Nimbus Therapeutics Appoints Accomplished Biologist and Research Director Christine Loh, Ph.D., to Lead Biology Team

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – September 19, 2019 – Nimbus Therapeutics, a biotechnology company applying deep computational expertise throughout drug discovery and development, today announced that it has appointed Christine Loh, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President, Head of Biology. Across Loh’s wide-ranging industry experience she has driven multiple new therapeutics from early discovery to entry into the clinic, most recently as Vice President of Translational Medicine at Kymera Therapeutics.

“Christine has a track record of strategically advancing research programs and building teams to deliver new medicines to patients, including in oncology and immunology which are part of our core research focus at Nimbus,” said Peter Tummino, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Nimbus. “We are thrilled that Christine will be joining the Nimbus team at a time of exciting pipeline progress.”

As Vice President of Translational Medicine at Kymera Therapeutics, Loh facilitated biomarker strategy, patient selection and resource-building initiatives to transition pipeline programs into clinical development. Previously, she was the Executive Director of Research at Bioverativ, leading a group focused on hemophilia and sickle cell disease. During that time, Loh also helped progress the spinout of Bioverativ from Biogen, where she had spent five years directing rare disease and immunology research. Loh also has over 20 years of experience as a lead researcher at Sirtris, Pfizer and ICOS Corporation, advancing several programs from concept to IND in autoimmunity, oncology and metabolic disease. She has a B.S. in biochemistry from Wellesley College and a Ph.D. in immunology from the Division of Medical Sciences at Harvard University.

“Nimbus’ structure-based drug discovery capabilities are second to none, and the company’s suite of well-validated targets provides valuable opportunities to develop novel therapeutic agents,” said Loh. “I am delighted to join this team and look forward to guiding the biology organization through a new and exciting period of growth.”

About Nimbus Therapeutics

Nimbus Therapeutics is a biotechnology company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA). Nimbus is pioneering the application of highly advanced computational technologies to the design and development of novel treatments for substantial and underserved human diseases. The company’s focus on metabolic diseases, cancer and immune-inflammatory disorders reflects the mechanistic relationship between these disorders, and Nimbus’ ability to rapidly tackle well-validated targets as well as those that have proven intractable to others. The company’s LLC/subsidiary architecture enables diverse and synergistic partnerships to deliver breakthrough medicines. To learn more, please visit www.nimbustx.com.

Media Contact

Lisa Raffensperger, (617) 903-8783
Ten Bridge Communications
lisa@tenbridgecommunications.com

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Nimbus Therapeutics and Celgene Expand Alliance to Immunotherapy in Oncology

Collaboration adds additional program focused on HPK1 inhibitors, potential medicines that could restore proper immune system activity in multiple tumor types

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – July 9, 2019 – Nimbus Therapeutics, a biotechnology company applying deep computational expertise throughout drug discovery and development, today announced the expansion of its long-term strategic alliance with Celgene Corporation to include Nimbus’ HPK1 inhibitor program.

Under the terms of the agreement, Celgene will receive an option to acquire the program up through a clinical inflection point. Nimbus will retain full control of research and development activities for the program prior to the program’s option point. Financial terms will remain undisclosed until Celgene exercises its option to acquire the program.

Hematopoietic Progenitor Kinase 1 (HPK1), a member of the MAP4K family, is an intracellular negative regulator of T cell proliferation and signaling and plays a key role in dendritic cell activation. The challenge with HPK1 thus far has been the ability of small molecules to achieve potency and selectivity profiles that do not inhibit other T cell kinases or MAP4K family members. Given its role in both T cells and dendritic cells, and an opportunity for working synergistically in upregulating immune system surveillance of cancer, HPK1 has been a highly prized target in immuno-oncology. Nimbus will continue to own and develop its potent small molecule HPK1 inhibitors that are highly selective against relevant off targets and possess robust cellular activity.

“We value the innovation that the Nimbus team can bring and we look forward to working together to bring powerful new immunotherapies to patients,” said Robert Hershberg, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Business Development & Global Alliances for Celgene Corporation.

“We are thrilled to expand our collaboration with Celgene and benefit from their capabilities in the development of immunotherapy approaches for cancer patients,” said Jeb Keiper, M.S., MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Nimbus.

About Nimbus Therapeutics

Nimbus Therapeutics is a biotechnology company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA). Nimbus is pioneering the application of highly-advanced computational technologies to the design and development of novel treatments for substantial and underserved human diseases. The company’s focus on metabolic diseases, cancer and immune-inflammatory disorders reflects the mechanistic relationship between these disorders, and Nimbus’ ability to rapidly tackle well validated targets as well as those that have proven intractable to others. The company’s LLC/subsidiary architecture enables diverse and synergistic partnerships to deliver breakthrough medicines. To learn more, please visit www.nimbustx.com.

Media Contact

Lisa Raffensperger, (617) 903-8783
Ten Bridge Communications
lisa@tenbridgecommunications.com

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Nimbus Therapeutics Publishes First-Ever High-Resolution Structure of ATP-Citrate Lyase

Research published in Nature utilizes cryo-EM to determine structure of critical metabolic protein 

3D structure of the ACLY tetramer produced using cryo-EM (Credit: Liang Tong, Columbia University; Nimbus Therapeutics; Nature)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – April 3, 2019 – Nimbus Therapeutics, a biotechnology company applying deep computational expertise throughout drug discovery and development, today published research in Nature describing the first high-resolution structure of full-length human ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY), a building block of human metabolism. Despite the ubiquitous role of ACLY in fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis throughout the body, conventional crystallography has not successfully elucidated its structure.

Nimbus scientists, in partnership with researchers at Columbia University and co-founder Schrödinger, used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to produce the full tetrameric structure of ACLY. The cryo-EM research was funded by Nimbus and led by Professor Liang Tong at Columbia University. The cryo-EM data were collected at the New York Structural Biology Center.

In addition, the publication describes potent inhibition of ACLY by a series of computationally designed small molecules developed by Nimbus. Inhibition of ACLY has long been recognized as a potential pathway to treat cancer and metabolic disorders. This study describes a previously undiscovered allosteric site of ACLY as a promising target for inhibitory compounds, greatly enhancing the druggability of ACLY.

“This paper is a terrific example of how our work at Nimbus combines cutting-edge technology, computational approaches and deep drug discovery experience to generate new scientific insights,” said Jeb Keiper, Chief Executive Officer at Nimbus. “We’re excited to continue collaborating with experts as we interrogate new targets and deepen our pipeline of therapies.”

“This work is a major contribution to the scientific literature, and a remarkable demonstration of the potential of cryo-EM in drug discovery,” said Liang Tong, Ph.D., William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor and Department Chair at Columbia University and lead author on the study. “Together, we’ve demonstrated how combining computational insights with cutting-edge tools like cryo-EM may spark significant progress in cancer and metabolic disease research.”

“Over the past decade, Nimbus has become known for major scientific advances in protein structure elucidation and development of small molecule therapeutic agents,” said Peter Tummino, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Nimbus. “We look forward to sharing many more firsts in our drug discovery programs in the months and years to come.”

The paper, entitled “An allosteric mechanism for potent inhibition of human ATP-citrate lyase,” published online in Nature today: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1094-6

About Cryo-EM

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a cutting-edge microscopic imaging technique developed by Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson, who were awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this achievement. Cryo-EM allows researchers to freeze biomolecules mid-movement and visualize processes they have never previously seen, which is informative for both the basic understanding of life’s chemistry and for the development of pharmaceuticals.

About Nimbus Therapeutics

Nimbus Therapeutics is a biotechnology company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA). Nimbus is pioneering the application of highly advanced computational technologies to the design and development of novel treatments for substantial and underserved human diseases. The company’s focus on metabolic diseases, cancer and immune-inflammatory disorders reflects the mechanistic relationship between these disorders, and Nimbus’ ability to rapidly tackle well-validated targets as well as those that have proven intractable to others. The company’s LLC/subsidiary architecture enables diverse and synergistic partnerships to deliver breakthrough medicines. To learn more, please visit www.nimbustx.com.

Media Contact

Lisa Raffensperger, (617) 903-8783
Ten Bridge Communications
lisa@tenbridgecommunications.com

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