The collaboration targets immunology and neurology indications, aiming to translate Aizen’s technical research into clinical candidates. Ajay Kshatriya, CEO and co-founder of the AI-native biotech, noted that the partnership seeks to replace traditional injectable biologics with oral pills that offer lower systemic toxicity and higher therapeutic precision. The DaX platform, which originated as a Caltech spin-out, distinguishes itself by exploring non-canonical amino acid chemical spaces at ten times the scale of conventional discovery methods.
Aizen Therapeutics Secures Multi-Program Deal to Develop Oral Peptides
Aizen Therapeutics has signed a multi-program agreement with a major San Diego-based biopharma firm to engineer oral peptide treatments. By leveraging its proprietary DaX foundation model, the startup stands to earn over $100 million in milestone payments for each target identified, marking a strategic shift toward commercializing its computational design technology.
David Van Valen, Aizen’s scientific founder and a Caltech professor, emphasized that the deal addresses the industry's long-standing struggles with chemical complexity and data scarcity in de novo peptide design. By combining the stability of small molecules with the specificity of antibodies, the company plans to move beyond natural biological constraints. Aizen is currently headquartered in San Diego and remains focused on gut-restricted and systemic treatments for chronic immune disorders.
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first!