Benzinga | Mar 10, 2021 08:12AM EST

Cocrystal Pharma Extends Drug Discovery Collaboration With HitGen And InterX Through August 2023; Financial Details Not Disclosed

BOTHELL, Wash, March 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cocrystal Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:COCP), ("Cocrystal" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company discovering and developing novel antiviral therapeutics that target the replication machinery of influenza viruses, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, hepatitis C viruses and noroviruses, announces an extension of its drug discovery collaboration with HitGen, a biotech company with an innovative DNA Encoded Library technology, and InterX Inc., a computer software company with a biomolecular simulation for drug discovery. The collaboration was initiated in September 2017 and will now continue through August 2023.



Through this collaboration, Cocrystal, HitGen and InterX scientists are applying HitGen's DNA-encoded library (DEL) technology platform, Cocrystal's structure-based drug discovery platform technology, and InterX's computational science to develop novel antiviral lead candidates. The DEL technology combines the power of molecular biology, combinatorial chemistry, high throughput sequencing and advanced informatics to identify potential drug candidates. Cocrystal applies its technology to determine the cocrystal structures of the potential drug candidates identified from the DEL library. This structural information is then combined with InterX's advanced computer algorithms to predict inhibitor-target interactions. A Joint Steering Committee comprised of representatives from all three companies is overseeing the collaboration.

"This collaboration represents a truly innovative and important approach to drug discovery in which we combine three novel platforms to generate and select molecules that could lead to superior drugs," said Gary Wilcox, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cocrystal. "We view this collaboration as a long-term relationship with the potential to build Cocrystal's platform and expand our pipeline with high-value compounds for future development."