MD Anderson and Schrödinger Announce Strategic Research Collaboration to Accelerate Development of WEE1 Program

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Schrödinger, Inc. (Nasdaq: SDGR), whose physics-based software platform is transforming the way therapeutics and materials are discovered, today announced a two-year strategic research collaboration focused on accelerating and optimizing the development of Schrödinger’s WEE1 inhibitor program, an investigational therapeutic approach designed to target the WEE1 kinase.

The collaboration brings together the translational research and drug development expertise of MD Anderson’s Therapeutics Discovery division with Schrödinger’s expertise and drug development program for WEE1 inhibitors. The goal of the collaboration is to accelerate and optimize the clinical development path for Schrödinger’s WEE1 program through molecular biomarker-driven tumor type prioritization and patient stratification and to validate biomarkers to predict response or resistance to a WEE1 inhibitor. The joint team will seek to prioritize clinical studies of a WEE1 inhibitor as a single agent in selected cancer indications and in rational combinations for defined clinical subpopulations.

“We are excited to work with MD Anderson’s researchers to speed the development of our WEE1 program and potentially advance a new therapeutic option for patients,” said Karen Akinsanya, Ph.D., executive vice president, chief biomedical scientist and head of discovery research and development at Schrödinger. “We have identified multiple highly selective WEE1 inhibitors with desirable drug-like properties that show strong pharmacodynamic responses and anti-tumor activity in preclinical models. We believe this profile may position our compounds as ideal candidates for applications both as monotherapy and as combination therapy partners.”

Under the preclinical collaboration agreement, Schrödinger will join forces with researchers in MD Anderson's Translational Research to AdvanCe Therapeutics and Innovation in ONcology (TRACTION) platform, which leads cutting-edge translational biology research to rapidly position new therapies for clinical trials. TRACTION is a core component of MD Anderson’s Therapeutics Discovery division, an integrated team of clinicians, researchers and drug development experts working to advance impactful therapies that address patient needs.