Autotide Pharmaceutics Limited

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved selfdegradative process that turns over intracellular components in a lysosome-dependent manner. Autophagy has long been regarded as a key factor in cancer formation and development. Autotide Pharmaceutics thus developed chemically modified molecules called peptidomimetics that target the autophagy process and inhibit cancer cell proliferation. This approach is proven to be effective in multiple animal models. Their peptidomimetics have good anti-tumour efficacy in multiple cancers, especially those that have no effective cures, such as triple-negative breast cancer, ovarian cancer and pancreatic cancer. The hydrocarbon stapling of the peptidomimetics conferring α-helical structure also allows them to have high stability without being metabolised. Meanwhile, the peptidomimetics only target the critical autophagy regulator, Beclin 1. By binding to Beclin 1 with high affinity, the peptidomimetics can regulate autophagy and mediate the related cell signalling pathways in cancer biogenesis and development. The highly specific action of the peptidomimetics translates into good safety record in animal trials, making them excellent candidates to cure malignant cancers.

Key Team Member(s)

Dr. ZHANG Xiaozhe (Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology)

WANG Lei (Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology)

Dr. YU Yingting (Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology)