Symeres, a leading CRDMO for drug discovery and development has partnered with Ambagon Therapeutics, a pre-clinical biotechnology company, to explore a new class of small molecules, known as molecular glues, for potential use in colorectal cancer and other hard-to-target diseases.

Molecular glues represent an emerging therapeutic modality that enables or stabilizes interactions between proteins, offering an alternative to conventional inhibitors or activators. This approach has the potential to expand the druggable proteome while reducing toxicity associated with traditional treatment strategies.

Under the collaboration, Symeres will evaluate Ambagon’s newly designed molecular glues through a series of in vitro assays and mechanistic studies. The project will focus on the evaluation of ternary complex kinetics using surface plasmon resonance (ResidenceTimer™), alongside cellular assays to assess functional impact on disease-relevant pathways.

Fluorescence microscopy will be used to examine the inhibition of target protein nuclear translocation, while downstream effects on pathway activity will be analyzed through quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western blot techniques. The therapeutic potential of the molecular glues will also be assessed using cancer cell viability assays.

“Targeting previously undruggable proteins remains one of the key challenges in oncology drug discovery,” said Jorg Benningshof, Managing Director, Oncolines, a Symeres company. “By combining Ambagon’s molecular glue technology with our translational research capabilities, we aim to generate meaningful insights to accelerate preclinical development across a variety of therapeutic conditions.”

Symeres also supports broader development efforts through application of its synthesis and validation services, including profiling across its panel of 102 cancer cell lines. This rounded approach helps customers understand compound behaviour earlier ensuring confident progression of promising candidates towards IND.

Christian Ottmann, Co-founder and CSO Ambagon Therapeutics added: “This collaboration enables us to deepen our understanding of how molecular glues can modulate disease-relevant pathways in colorectal cancer. Working with Symeres provides access to robust validation platforms that are critical for progressing our pipeline.”

The collaboration reflects a growing industry focus on novel modalities that can unlock challenging biological targets and improve outcomes for patients with complex cancers.