CHERRY HILL, N.J., Nov. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vyant Bio, Inc. (“Vyant Bio” or “Company”) (Nasdaq: VYNT) is an innovative biotechnology company reinventing drug discovery for complex neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. The Company’s proprietary central nervous system (“CNS”) drug discovery platform combines human-derived organoid models of brain disease, scaled biology, and machine learning to identify and validate drug targets and therapeutic candidates. Today, Vyant Bio provided key takeaways from its Platform and Poster presentations delivered by Matthew Green, Ph.D., Vyant Bio’s Senior Scientist, at the 2022 CDKL5 Forum Hosted by the Loulou Foundation on November 7th and 8th, 2022, in Boston, MA. CDKL5 (cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5) deficiency disorder (CDD) is a rare neurodevelopmental condition caused by pathogenic mutations in the CDKL5 gene. The most common symptoms include early-onset, difficult to control seizures and neurodevelopmental impairment that affects cognitive, motor, speech and visual function.
The platform and poster presentations can be found at Presentations :: Vyant Bio, Inc. (VYNT)
In summary, phenotypic and target-based screening of patient-derived CDKL5 organoids identified several promising drug targets and therapeutic candidates that reversed the abnormal neuronal hyperactivity in a CDD disease-specific manner. Key takeaways from the presentation included:
- Vyant Bio’s proprietary CNS Drug Discovery Platform is a paradigm for high-throughput biomarker-based screening that utilizes patient biology, and data science to drive de-risked target and hit discovery. The screening process also indicates human efficacy at the outset of a drug discovery program.
- Vyant Bio has developed a CDKL5-patient derived cortical organoid model that provides a robust disease-relevant model of CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD). CDD patient-derived organoids exhibit a hyperexcitable functional phenotype suitable for high-throughput screening. The phenotypic and target-based screening process identified several promising therapeutic targets and small molecules that rescued the disease phenotype, including potential new chemical entity (NCE) and repurposing candidates.
- In collaboration with Cyclica, a novel receptor was identified that showed a disease-specific deficiency in function in CDD organoids. In silico based screening identified small molecule compounds that were able to restore sensitivity of the receptor in CDD cortical organoids.
Robert T. Fremeau, Jr., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Vyant Bio, commented: “Our presentations at the Loulou Foundation CDKL5 Forum highlighted the promise and potential of our human first CNS drug discovery platform to drive drug discovery for CNS genetic disorders. The key element of our platform is obtaining a deeper understanding of human disease biology at the cellular level through the application of innovative enabling technologies. We are excited by the opportunity to apply our proprietary CNS drug discovery platform to discover breakthrough therapies for patients with complex neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.”
ABOUT CDKL5
CDKL5 stands for cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5, which is a protein whose gene is on the X chromosome. Mutations in it cause deficiencies in the protein level and severely affect brain development. About 90% of patients with CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) are girls. CDD patients suffer from seizures that usually begin within the first few months of life, as well as from profound neurodevelopmental delay. Estimates suggest that one in 40,000-60,000 live births develop the disorder, making it difficult to study when compared to common diseases like cancer and heart disease.
ABOUT THE LOULOU FOUNDATION
The Loulou Foundation is a private non-profit organization founded in 2015 to support the development of effective therapeutics and eventual cures for CDD. Through robust grant and directed research programs, the Foundation provides tools and resources to basic and clinical scientists to enable the development of disease-modifying therapeutics for CDD. These programs include support for pre-clinical, translational, and clinical research into basic CDKL5 biology, CDD disease mechanisms, and the proof-of-concept studies for gene therapy and genome modifying therapeutics. Visit www.louloufoundation.org for more information.
ABOUT VYANT BIO, INC.
Vyant Bio, Inc. (“Vyant Bio” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: VYNT) is an innovative biotechnology company focused on identifying unique biological targets and novel and repurposed therapeutics for treating the debilitating neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders for which there are no current therapies. Vyant Bio has built a platform of therapeutics seeking to treat neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases, with current programs targeting Rett Syndrome (“Rett”), CDKL5 Deficiency Disorders (“CDD”), and familial Parkinson’s Disease. The Company’s approach to drug discovery integrates human-derived biology with artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to de-risk candidate selection, with the goal of improving the potential effectiveness of drugs discovered earlier in the development cycle. Vyant Bio’s management believes that drug discovery needs to progressively shift to more efficient methods as the widely used models for predicting safe and effective drugs have under-performed, as evidenced by the significant time and cost of bringing novel drugs to market. By combining sophisticated data science capabilities with highly functional human cell derived disease models, Vyant Bio seeks to leverage its current ability to screen and test therapeutic candidates, and create a unique approach to assimilating data that supports decision making iteratively throughout the discovery phase of drug development to identify both novel and repurposed CNS therapeutic candidates.
For more information, please visit or follow Vyant Bio at:
Internet: www.vyantbio.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vyant-bio
Twitter: @VyantBio
Forward Looking Statements:
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements pertaining to Vyant Bio, Inc.’s expectations regarding future financial and/or operating results, the efficacy of our drug screening and discovery process, and potential for our services, future revenue or growth in this press release constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to, statements that contain words such as “will,” “believes,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “expects,” and “estimates”) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in our attempts to discover drug candidates, partner with pharmaceutical and other biotechnology companies, achieve profitability, adapt to the global coronavirus pandemic, raise capital to meet our liquidity needs, and other risks discussed in the Vyant Bio, Inc. Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, and any subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Vyant Bio disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Investor Contact:
Skyline Corporate Communications Group, LLC
Scott Powell, President
One Rockefeller Plaza, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10020 USA
Office: (646) 893-5835 x2
Email: info@skylineccg.com
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