Axxam, leadXpro and MercachemSyncom Form a Strategic Alliance for Structure-based Drug Discovery Services

Bresso (Italy), Villigen (Switzerland) and Nijmegen (the Netherlands) 28 October 2020 Axxam, leadXpro and MercachemSyncom today announced a strategic alliance that will allow them to offer world-class integrated structure-guided drug discovery services for membrane protein targets. The alliance provides clients with a combination of transformational structural biology and computational chemistry for ion-channel, GPCR and transporter targets at leadXpro, enhanced by Axxam’s assay development, electrophysiology and HTS/HCS platforms and MercachemSyncom’s medicinal chemistry, ADME assays, process research and GMP manufacturing capabilities. This combination of drug discovery platforms and expertise can now be accessed under a single, integrated contractual and project management arrangement by pharmaceutical and biotech companies, as well as academic translational organisations around the world.

Dr. Michael Hennig, CEO of leadXpro, commented, “To combine the capabilities of Axxam and MercachemSyncom with leadXpro’s passion for enabling structure-based drug discovery of challenging integral membrane proteins creates a unique platform for the discovery of small molecules. We are building on the previous success of combining Axxam’s assay and screening technologies with our protein structure science to unlock an extremely challenging GPCR for lead discovery, and we look forward to future success in this expanded alliance.”

Dr. Eelco Ebbers, CEO of MercachemSyncom, added, “We are very happy to welcome leadXpro to our network of like-minded, world-class centres of excellence in drug discovery. The possibility to apply leadXpro’s state-of-the-art structural biology and computational chemistry expertise to the design and synthesis of new molecules for membrane proteins, among the most valuable and challenging classes of drug targets, is an extremely exciting development for us. This most recent development builds on a long-standing and extremely successful strategic alliance between MercachemSyncom and Axxam.”

Dr. Stefan Lohmer, CEO of Axxam, added, “Based already on a long lasting and successful collaboration with leadXpro we are extremely pleased that they are joining our strategic network of excellence in drug discovery. The vast majority of premium targets are membrane proteins including GPCRs, ion channels and solute carriers for which structural biology approaches are important to support drug discovery efforts. leadXpro with its cutting-edge technologies including also Cryo-EM is the perfect partner of excellence for that discipline and we are looking forward to work together with MercachemSyncom and leadXpro as one team in this unique alliance of excellence for clients.”

About Axxam

Axxam SpA is a privately owned iPRO (innovative Partner Research Organization) and discovery company located at the Science Park OpenZone in Bresso (Milan, Italy). The company is a leading provider of discovery services for the entire life sciences industries as: pharmaceutical, crop protection, animal health, cosmetics and nutrition. Axxam has a strong expertise across a broad range of discovery disciplines and innovative technologies, including: assay development, compound management, HTS, hit identification and hit validation. Axxam is also engaged in developing novel innovative therapies for diseases with a high unmet medical need. For more information, please visit www.axxam.com.

About leadXpro

leadXpro AG is a lead discovery company focusing on membrane protein drug targets. We are committed to the application of biophysical and structure-based methods for the discovery and optimization of next generation lead compounds. leadXpro’s technology platform enables structural determination of membrane proteins, unlocking structure-based drug discovery for GPCRs, ion-channels and transporters. We capitalize on propriety access to Swiss research facilities such as the synchrotron (Swiss Light Source, SLS), the Free Electron Laser (SwissFEL) and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), whilst ensuring full data confidentiality. For more information, please visit www.leadxpro.com.

About MercachemSyncom

MercachemSyncom is the leading mid-sized European contract research organization offering innovative chemistry, medicinal chemistry, ADME, early process research services, and GMP production to accelerate the drug discovery and development process in a flexible and cost-effective way. MercachemSyncom also offers integrated drug-discovery services from hit to clinic via a strategic alliance with Axxam. Working for many pharmaceutical and biotech companies throughout the world, MercachemSyncom is recognized for its high-quality products and services and its unprecedented problem-solving capabilities. For more information, please visit: www.mercachemsyncom.com. For further information, please contact: