Enlight Forms Two New Partnerships
Enlight Biosciences LLC announced yesterday that they have formed new partnerships with AstraZeneca and Novo Nordisk. As partners, AstraZeneca and Novo Nordisk will have the chance to collaborate and invest in the development of potentially transformational technologies with application to their therapeutic programs.
Enlight is a unique entrepreneurial partnership with major pharmaceutical companies and leading academics, focused on pioneering breakthrough innovations for drug discovery and development. It was created by PureTech Ventures to proactively address critical unmet industry needs.
Enlight’s innovations are drawn from academic laboratories, start-ups and ideas generated internally by the Enlight team, including a scientific advisory board led by Nobel Laureate, Dr. H. Robert Horvitz. Enlight is focused on areas that include molecular imaging, biologics, and drug formulation and delivery methods, as well as novel chemistries and production technologies, biomarkers and drug safety. Hundreds of technology opportunities are evaluated each year, with only the top one or two selected to become actively managed programs.
Since its founding in 2008, Enlight has publicly announced the formation of two companies – Entrega and Endra –and in addition has several companies that have not yet been publically announced. Entrega is developing a proprietary delivery technology to enable the oral administration of proteins, peptides and difficult-to-deliver small molecules.
Enlight’s CEO, Michelle Browner, Ph.D., commented that “one of the keys to the success of Enlight is the rich dialogue between our network of scientific and clinical experts together with our pharmaceutical partners. We will greatly benefit from contributions of AstraZeneca and Novo Nordisk to this excellent group of industry and academic leaders.”
“Enlight provides a unique opportunity for AstraZeneca… to collaborate with our peers and contribute to the development of tools that will fundamentally enhance R&D across the industry”, added Menelas Pangalos, Executive Vice President, Innovative Medicines, AstraZeneca.
Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, Executive Vice President at Novo Nordisk, commented that “through our participation in Enlight, we will be able to actively support the advancement of innovative ideas while proactively addressing the needs of our expanding global R&D organization.”
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