Sirenas Enters Into Multi-Target Collaboration With Bristol-Myers Squibb

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sirenas, LLC ("Sirenas"), a biotechnology company harnessing computational approaches to discover therapeutics derived from the global microbiome, announced today that it has entered into a multi-target research collaboration agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb to deploy Sirenas' drug discovery platform against certain undisclosed challenging therapeutic targets to identify potential drug candidates.  The research collaboration leverages Sirenas' expertise in applying ATLANTIStm, its data mining technology, to identify such potential drug candidates derived from Sirenas' proprietary chemical library isolated from global microbiome collections. 

Under the terms of the collaboration agreement Sirenas and Bristol-Myers Squibb will work together to identify such potential drug candidates.  Sirenas will receive an undisclosed up-front payment, funding for research activities and potential success fees from Bristol-Myers Squibb.  In addition, Bristol-Myers Squibb has an option to license compounds identified from the collaborative efforts under a separate agreement that will include potential milestones and royalties paid to Sirenas.

"We believe science-focused biopharma companies can benefit from our innovative approaches to access breakthrough chemistry in delivering drug candidates for difficult biological targets," said Jake Beverage, PharmD., Co-Founder and CEO of Sirenas.  "We look forward to a fruitful collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb, one of the finest drug discovery teams in the world, to identify potential new therapies to treat the world's highest unmet medical needs."

Phil Baran, Ph.D., Co-Founder of Sirenas added, "Sirenas has built a remarkably effective platform that combines powerful computational approaches, deep natural product expertise, and state of the art synthesis to rapidly deliver new drug candidates.  We are committed to using computational approaches like ATLANTIStm with our partners to uncover novel therapies from the profound chemistry hidden in the diversity of nature."

About Sirenas

Sirenas is a privately-held biotechnology company harnessing computational approaches to discover therapeutics derived from the global microbiome.  Through this unique approach, Sirenas has applied its data mining technology ATLANTIStm to its proprietary broad catalogue of molecules and in combination with in-house next-generation synthetic chemistry, Sirenas has created a first-in-class approach to drug discovery and has identified promising small molecule drug candidates. Due to Sirenas' expertise in the field, the company has formed research partnerships including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the California Institute for Biomedical Research to advance ATLANTIStm and its emerging pipeline of immuno-modulatory programs. Sirenas maintains its headquarters in San Diego, CA.  For more information, please visit www.SirenasMD.com.

About ATLANTIStm

In September 2015, Sirenas launched its proprietary data mining technology named ATLANTIStm to uncover the therapeutic potential of nature's chemistry in a wide range of global microbiome collections.  Initially, Sirenas has deployed this technology in marine microbiome collections of organisms such as sponges, cyanobacteria and algae, with their commensal microbial communities, providing a source of valuable chemical diversity. Through these efforts, Sirenas has amassed a highly curated collection of nature-inspired molecules that can be interrogated for their therapeutic potential.  ATLANTIStm uses machine learning and "big data" approaches to uncover the complex relationships between natural small molecule metabolites and disease relevant biological assays. ATLANTIStm provides rapid insights into the therapeutic potential, chemical novelty, structure activity relationships and global distribution of each metabolite. This functionality enables the uncovering of therapeutic leads from a previously hidden, rich pool of privileged chemistry that can be leveraged to help tackle the greatest unmet disease needs.

Sirenas Company Contact:

Jake Beverage, PharmD
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
[email protected]        

Sirenas Media Contact:

Amy Conrad
Juniper Point
[email protected]
858-366-3243

SOURCE Sirenas, LLC