Novo Nordisk and Octagon Therapeutics Enter Inflammatory Disease Research Collaboration

Octagon Therapeutics, a preclinical-stage biotechnology company, announced a partnership with Novo Nordisk on Sept. 20, 2022. The research collaboration will use Octagon’s functional target discovery approach and novel chemistry strategy in disease areas in which Novo Nordisk has specific expertise.

The program selectively targets a population of pathologically activated B cells that contribute to autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus and vasculitis. According to a company press release, this approach can be applied in other disease areas to target disease-driving processes while retaining healthy immune functioning. A recent pilot project, initiated through Novo Nordisk’s Co-creation Greenhouse Accelerator program, demonstrated proof-of-concept in identifying atypical characteristics of other immune cells during disease; this ultimately led to the discovery of new therapeutic targets.

"Octagon has a unique platform technology to look into functional biology in a novel way.It makes use of clinical samples and primary immune cells to identify new drug targets,” said Uli Stilz, vice-president, Bio Innovation Hub, Novo Nordisk, in the press release. “Combined with our disease understanding in the cardiometabolic space and Octagon´s approach in targeting specific lymphocyte populations that drive disease progression, it will be exciting to see what therapeutic discoveries the collaboration can lead to."

"Novo Nordisk has a strong expertise in diabetes and related cardiometabolic conditions like [nonalcoholic fatty liver disease] and kidney disease." said Isaac Stoner, CEO, Octagon Therapeutics, in the press release."This collaboration will enable Octagon to expand our technology into these disease areas and to further leverage the impressive clinical sample collection that Novo Nordisk has available."

Source: Octagon Therapeutics