Saponin Drug Development Platform (SDP)
Saponins, phytochemicals widely present in common Chinese medicinal materials such as Ginseng, Panax notoginseng, Chonglou, Horse chestnut, Licorice, and Astragalus, have been reported to possess a wide range of bioactivities, including anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-aging, and cardiovascular disease prevention.
However, despite their potential, the bioactivity of many saponins has yet to be fully explored. The development of saponins into drugs is hindered by two main obstacles:
1. The conventional screening method for active saponins from plants is considered "passive." This is because saponins with expected bioactivity are typically screened from selected plants, but the proportion of total saponins or even the molecular structure of specific saponin monomers can be significantly affected by the growth stages of the plants. This leads to ineffective screening of targeted saponins or even the absence of those saponins in the plant extract.
2. The wide variety and complexity of saponin structures mean that different subunits and functional groups within a saponin molecule possess varying bioactivity. This contributes to the multi-bioactivity characteristic of a saponin molecule, which has been a significant obstacle to the development of saponins into therapeutic drugs. For instance, hemolytic bioactivity has hindered the development of saponins into various therapeutic drugs.
After over a decade of research in saponin, Evaeon has developed a groundbreaking
"Saponin Drug Development Platform" for saponin drug development and application, which boasts two key advantages:
1. Designer Saponin: Leveraging our knowledge of saponin structures, our disassembly and recombination technology can eliminate the adverse activity of a single saponin while preserving its desirable biological activity. For example, we have successfully removed hemolytic activity - a major obstacle to pharmaceutical development - from saponins, while retaining multiple therapeutic activities, making them suitable for drug development.
2. Proprietary Saponin Database: Our team's deep understanding of saponin structures and continued improvement of our disassembly and recombination technology have enabled us to obtain various saponin compounds and establish a large saponin database with multiple biological activities. This database allows us to perform "active" screening by quickly and systematically testing various saponins' effects on human cells using protein microarray technology. We can then combine big data and artificial intelligence to analyze the corresponding molecular pathways, identify therapeutic targets for specific indications, and significantly reduce the time required for validation experiments.
To further enhance the capabilities of our platform, we are currently leveraging AI technology to develop powerful predictive models that correlate chemical structures with pharmacokinetic properties, biological activity, and toxicity, and to identify potential drug targets through analysis of biological and clinical data, genomic information, and molecular interactions. As a result, this AI-enhanced platform will be able to efficiently explore, analyze, and optimize our vast saponin chemical spaces, leading to more rapid and cost-effective drug discovery, development and clinical processes.
Currently, Evaeon is focusing on developing saponin-based therapies for ovarian cancer due to four key factors:
1. Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, primarily due to late-stage diagnoses.
2. Recurrence is common after initial platinum-based chemotherapy.
3. The eventual development of platinum drug resistance is the most challenging issue in treatment.
4. No effective screening methods for early detection of ovarian cancer are currently available.
We are currently conducting preclinical studies on our drug candidate and working hard to prepare for the Investigational New Drug (IND) application process.