Press Release

Chengdu, China, April 24th 2017: HitGen Ltd., a privately held biotech company focused on technology for effective and efficient small molecule drug discovery and development, announced today a collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and its affiliate, the California Institute for Biomedical Research (Calibr). This collaboration is to discover and develop potential new therapies in areas of unmet clinical need, with an initial focus in oncology, regenerative medicine and virology.

Chengdu, China, April 17th, 2017, HitGen Ltd. is pleased to announce that the company has entered into a multi-year research collaboration and license agreement with Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) to build and screen novel DNA-encoded libraries (DELs) in order to potentially discover unique small molecule leads to be used in drug development. Through the collaboration, HitGen and Pfizer scientists will apply HitGen’s advanced technology platform and research capabilities in the design, synthesis, and screening of multiple proprietary DELs for Pfizer’s drug discovery efforts. In addition, HitGen will screen their own DELs, consisting of billions of compounds, against a selected number of Pfizer’s therapeutic targets. Novel lead compounds from the HitGen DELs will be licensed exclusively to Pfizer for further research and development. Pfizer will fund the research at HitGen.

Chengdu, China，22nd March, 2017, HitGen Ltd announced that the company has entered into a collaboration with MSD, known as Merck in the United States and Canada, to discover novel chemical leads for multiple therapeutic targets of interest to MSD. According to this agreement, HitGen will deploy its core technology platform, based on DNA-encoded library design, synthesis and screening.. The novel leads identified will be licensed exclusively to MSD. Under the terms of the agreement, HitGen will receive an upfront payment and be eligible for milestone payments from MSD.

Cancer Research UK, Cancer Research Technology (CRT), the charity’s commercial arm, and HitGen Ltd, a privately held biotech company focused on early drug discovery, announced today that they have entered into a licence agreement to develop a novel class of drugs against lung cancer.

September 22, 2016, Chengdu – Academician Sang Guowei, the Vice Chairperson of the National People’s Congress of the Peoples’ Republic of China, Chief Engineer of National Major Innovative Drug Projects as well as an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, accompanied by officials from Sichuan Provincial and Chengdu Municipal Government visited HitGen Ltd. Dr. Jin Li, Chairman & CEO of HitGen, as well as department leaders showed our warm reception and hospitality to Professor Sang Guowei.

Chengdu, China, September 22, 2016, HitGen Ltd., a privately held biotech company focused on technology for effective and efficient molecular discovery, announced today a multi-target global collaboration with Janssen Biotech, Inc., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, which has been facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation. This collaboration is to discover potential new therapies in areas of strategic interest to Janssen, especially in the areas of oncology and metabolics.

Aug 23th, as the first speaker of 5th IAPC Meeting, Dr. Jin Li introduced the technical principle of DNA Encoded Library (DELs) synthesis and screening and its potential impact on the early new drug discovery, which attracted several attendees’ interest.

May 6, 2016 – Nature Biotechnology published an article named “DNA-encoded Drug Libraries Come of Age”. In this article, it introduced the basic principles of DNA-encoded Libraries (DEL) and some major developments in innovative drug discoveries. It also gave recognition of contribution in innovative drug discoveries area made by those DEL companies at home and abroad including HitGen.

April 29, 2016, Chengdu – HitGen had the honor to host Professor Richard A. Lerner, former President of The Scripps Research Institute and Professor K. Barry Sharpless (winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for catalyzed oxidation reactions) visit our site in Chengdu. Dr. Jin Li, Chairman & CEO of HitGen, as well as department leaders showed our warm reception and hospitality to the guests. Later on, both sides held a deeper and comprehensive discussion based on companies’ technologies, development, etc.

April 24, 2016 – HitGen, as a “high-tech pioneer” of biotechnology field in Sichuan Province, was inspected and encouraged by Premier Li Keqiang. The premier gave HitGen recognition on its rapid growth for the past 4 years and instructed HitGen urgently to translate the existing giant “Innovative Drug Discovery Library” to real innovative drugs that patients can use.