Research
At Draupnir, we are extending the potential of protein degradation to target extracellular and membrane-bound proteins in a pioneering approach using our novel and differentiated, proprietary technology platform which targets lysosome receptors, and has the potential to revolutionise the field of TPD.
Our most advanced programme targets extracellular and membrane-bound disease proteins for degradation via sortilin, one of the many lysosome receptors found on cell membranes. While sortilin itself is not a target for degradation, it plays a crucial role in the cellular uptake of extracellular proteins.
This proprietary sortilin-based lysosome targeting chimera (SORTAC) technology consists of a small molecule part that binds to sortilin with a linker region and a small molecule part that binds to the extracellular disease protein. This ternary complex is then brought into the cell where the disease protein is destroyed. The sortilin and the SORTAC are then recycled, enabling further rounds of protein degradation.
Relevant sortilin expression is found in all tissues, providing broad applicability of Draupnir’s platform across multiple disease areas.
The Company is building a risk-diversified preclinical pipeline of oral, small molecule protein degraders against targets that are validated and those that have been traditionally difficult to drug. The technology has been proven against multiple targets in cell models.