Our mission is to develop a new class of highly-selective biologic drugs that effectively address the ongoing challenges of side-effects that are limiting the benefits of current treatments in difficult-to-drug diseases
The approach leverages large libraries of engineered proteins, Selektides, based on a small and hyper-stable human protein scaffold with unique drug properties.
The drug discovery platform is based on a state-of-the-art combinatorial approach, powered by proprietary selection and computational strategies with AI-guided structure and function analysis, ultimately validated with high resolution Cryo-EM and in vivo studies.
SelekTx is focused on the discovery of highly selective therapeutic molecules targeting G Protein-coupled Receptors (GPCRs) with a platform proven to have broad applicability (Linse et al., PNAS USA 2022).
SelekTx will enter collaboration or licensing arrangements to advance our lead candidates from IND-enabling through clinical trials.
Hyperstable and tightly folded scaffold ensures optimal presentation of hypervariable peptides that penetrate deep into the receptor binding pocket. Resistant to proteolysis (long half-life). High tolerance to mutations (many beneficial engineered motifs).
No off-target binding enables highly selective target binding minimising side effects producing safer therapies.
The small size and high solubility of Selektides enhances penetration of difficult-to-access tissues and delivers specific binding to complex or buried epitopes in the extracellular domains of GPCRs.
The Selektide scaffold provides additional engineering space for the creation of bispecific receptor targeting maximising receptor selectivity. The protein scaffold lacks cross-reactive binding, enabling creation of multimeric constructs and designed PK enhancement without compromising receptor engagement (see FormatSelekt).
Selektides can be expressed in bacterial and mammalian host systems to very high titres and can be purified to clinical grade purity with a twin ion exchange polishing system. Selektides can be secreted from CHO mammalian culture as monomers, multimers and as Fc fusion proteins without aggregation or loss of stability. PK enhancing HSA binding domains can be engineered into the polypeptide sequence facilitating a single production platform without chemical conjugation requirements.
The platform involves coordination of four applied research strengths in an iterative fashion to produce fully validated drug candidates with detailed structural information on Selektide/GPCR complexes
We have prioritised 10 Selektides in each programme that are progressing through functional characterisation
This approach has identified Selektides with entirely novel mechanism of action in each programme
SelekTx represents the long-term research collaboration of Prof Sara Linse (Lund University) and Prof David O’Connell (UCD), and their ambition to commercialise this unique drug development platform.
UCD owns the IP and patent (filed in 2021) for the Selektide library and discovery platform, which will be licenced to SelekTx as spin-out company.
In 2022 the Founders published a detailed description of the library and the in vitro analysis of a lead inhibitor against secondary nucleation in the amyloid aggregation pathway of Alzheimer’s Disease – the first application of the Selektide Library. (Linse et al., PNAS USA 2022)
In 2024 pre-commercialisation grant funding awards were received from Enterprise Ireland and Novo Nordisk Fonden funding Selektide discovery research at UCD & Lund University.
SelekTx is currently undertaking the in vivo characterisation of its leading Selektide drug candidates.
SelekTx is seeking pharmaceutical partners to develop its initial lead drug candidates for clinical development.
Professor of Biochemistry and Structural Biology at Lund University, Sweden.
Lead for finance and commercialisation strategy of the spin-out company.
David O'Connell is Associate Professor of Biochemistry at UCD, Ireland.
The SelekTx research and development team is active across two laboratories located at UCD, Ireland and Lund University, Sweden. A total of 6 research scientists are dedicated to Selektide discovery and development with a primary focus on GPCR therapies at UCD and on amyloid diseases at Lund. The teams are actively engaged in method development to expand the capabilities of proprietary libraries, the computational analysis methods and are pursuing exciting developments in Cryo-EM advancement of Selektide/Target complex visualization.