Bridge Biotherapeutics and HitGen collaborate on oncology drug discovery

Bridge Biotherapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, has entered into a strategic alliance with HitGen Inc., a leading Chinese drug discovery platform company, to accelerate the development of new cancer drug candidates. The collaboration builds on the success of initial hit-finding and identification work using HitGen's DNA-encoded library (DEL) technology.

Bridge Biotherapeutics aims to expand its oncology portfolio, currently focused on EGFR inhibitors for lung cancer, by exploring new cancer drug targets. The company has invested significant resources in developing analytical methods to discover broad-spectrum, targeted cancer drugs. The partnership with HitGen is expected to accelerate lead identification, optimization and advancement over the next year.

HitGen's DEL platform, which includes over 1.2 trillion small molecules, has proven efficient in drug discovery projects worldwide. The company's expertise in DEL, synthetic therapeutic oligonucleotides (STO), targeted protein degradation (TPD), fragment-based drug discovery and structure-based drug development makes it a market leader in the field.

James Lee, CEO of Bridge Biotherapeutics, said: “By collaborating with HitGen, we will accelerate the discovery of new targeted cancer drugs.” He added: “We will take on the challenge of developing drugs that have anti-cancer effects even in genetically mutated cancers, which has been difficult to date.”

Dr. Jin Li, Chairman and CEO of HitGen Inc., commented, “We are excited to collaborate with the Bridge Biotherapeutics team to develop novel drug candidates based on our screening platform,” adding, “By leveraging the expertise of both companies, we will help accelerate the discovery of new cancer drugs.”

Bridge Biotherapeutics is currently conducting a Phase 1 clinical trial for its lead drug candidate BBT-207 for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. The partnership with HitGen is a significant advancement in the company's efforts to strengthen its oncology portfolio and bring innovative treatments to cancer patients.