Orbit Discovery (Orbit), a ground-breaking peptide discovery company is pleased to announce the commencement of a partnership with WuXi AppTec, a leading global provider of R&D and manufacturing services that enable the global pharmaceutical and healthcare industry.
Orbit will combine its leading peptide discovery platform and experience with WuXi AppTec’s downstream capabilities. Specifically, Orbit gains access to WuXi AppTec’s expertise in peptide optimisation, peptide production and manufacturing to help its Partners obtain clinically relevant data packs and materials in a rapid timeframe. Orbit will also utilise other capabilities within WuXi AppTec, in particular their expertise in cell line and assay development and biophysical analysis.
Incorporating these capabilities into the Orbit platform will enable functional assays to be developed against a wider range of targets, facilitating direct functional screens using novel bead-based technologies and microfluidics.
This is the first strategic technology link Orbit has penned since its formation in 2016. The partnership underlines the commitment of the new management team to deliver ground-breaking technology and broader capabilities to the Partners engaged in applying the Company’s technology for the discovery of peptide therapeutic leads.
Dr Neil Butt, Chief Executive Officer of Orbit Discovery, commented: “We aim to move Orbit to the forefront of peptide discovery, and relationships such as this help us leverage expertise that would take far longer to grow organically. We see the partnership with WuXi AppTec as being a key relationship and a great asset to our current Partners, and Partners of the future.” He added: “We see particular value in the development and manufacturing platform of WuXi AppTec, that will enable us to generate peptides at small or large scale that incorporate chemical modifications to facilitate peptide optimisations and the journey towards a therapeutic candidate.”
“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to support Orbit Discovery and its research partners” commented Dr Dave Madge, VP Discovery Services at WuXi AppTec. “We see substantial synergies between the Orbit technology for peptide discovery and our platform for optimisation, characterisation and manufacture of novel peptide therapeutics.”
About Orbit Discovery
Orbit Discovery Ltd is a peptide discovery company focused on the use of novel bead and microfluidic technology platforms to improve the throughput of functional screening. The Orbit technologies encompass target protein expression and purification, including multi-spanning membrane proteins; affinity screening to identify panels of target binding therapeutic candidates; and functional screening in cell-based assays. The Company’s multi-disciplinary team of world-class researchers and drug developers is working to translate this technology into breakthrough human therapeutics for Partners and collaborators, these parties encompass large scale pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Orbit Discovery is based in the Oxford Science Park and benefits from the expertise and experience of its founders, Professor Graham Ogg (University of Oxford) and Professor Terry Rabbits (the Institute of Cancer Research).
About WuXi AppTec
As a global company with operations across Asia, Europe, and North America, WuXi AppTec provides a broad portfolio of R&D and manufacturing services that enable global pharmaceutical and healthcare industry to advance discoveries and deliver ground-breaking treatments to patients. Through its unique business models, WuXi AppTec’s integrated, end-to-end services include chemistry drug CRDMO (Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organization), biology discovery, preclinical testing and clinical research services, cell and gene therapies CTDMO (Contract Testing, Development and Manufacturing Organization), helping customers improve the productivity of advancing healthcare products through cost-effective and efficient solutions. WuXi AppTec received AA ESG rating from MSCI in 2021 and its open-access platform is enabling more than 5,600 collaborators from over 30 countries to improve the health of those in need – and to realize the vision that “every drug can be made and every disease can be treated.”
