HitGen Hits China Drug Discovery Jackpot With MNC Tie-ups

22 Jun 2017

Wei Chen, head of R&D for Chengdu-based venture HitGen, talks to Scrip’s Brian Yang on how the Chinese startup is partnering with multinationals and is aiming to speed up new drug development in China through its own platform and a novel HDAC inhibitor for liver cancer.

HitGen Ltd. burst onto the drug discovery scene in China merely a year ago, when the Chengdu, Sichuan province-based biotech signed a collaboration agreement with Johnson & Johnson, to use its own platform to build a DNA encoded library and to screen new targets with a focus on oncology and metabolic disorders.

HitGen is to provide chemistry and biological support for screening small molecular lead compounds as part of the deal, following...