Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: TNXP) (Tonix or the Company), a fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company with marketed products and a pipeline of development candidates, today announced that it has entered into an AI and ML research collaboration with X-Chem, Inc. (X-Chem), a leader in small molecule drug discovery, to accelerate development of Tonix’s oral broad-spectrum antivirals.
Tonix’s TNX-4200 antiviral program focuses on the development of oral CD45 phosphatase inhibitors, with broad-spectrum activity against a range of viral families. As previously disclosed, Tonix entered into a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) for up to $34 million to advance the development of Tonix’s TNX-4200 broad-spectrum oral antiviral program for medical countermeasures, including an Investigational New Drug (IND) submission and a first-in-human Phase 1 clinical study.
“We are excited to enter into this research collaboration with X-Chem, which we believe will expand our capabilities, and deepen our understanding of host-targeted small molecule therapeutics for a variety of targets,” said Seth Lederman, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Tonix Pharmaceuticals. “With the support of X-Chem’s drug discovery AI/ML technology, we expect to optimize the physicochemical properties, pharmacokinetics, and safety attributes of our drug candidates.”
"We are excited to partner with Tonix in their pursuit of such important programs in human health, at the intersection of laboratory and in silico technology. This collaboration highlights how integrative work continues to leverage the creation of target-specific high-quality data to drive AI drug discovery,” said Erin Davis, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer of X-Chem.”
The DTRA contract awarded to Tonix is expected to help fund and accelerate the development of the Company’s lead oral host-directed TNX-4200 broad-spectrum antiviral program. The TNX-4200 program aims to reduce viral load and to allow the adaptive immune system to alert the other arms of the immune system to mount a protective response. Tonix plans to leverage previous research on phosphatase inhibitors to optimize lead compounds for therapeutic intervention of biothreat agents.
For the oral broad-spectrum antiviral programs, including TNX-4200, Tonix is utilizing its state-of-the-art research laboratory capabilities, including a Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) lab and an Animal Biosafety Level 3 (ABSL-3) facility at its research and development center (RDC) located in Frederick, Md., as well as experienced personnel in-house. The RDC is located in Maryland’s ‘I-270 biotech corridor’ and is close to the center of the U.S. biodefense research community.