The Business of ConjuChem

The Business of ConjuChem

Drug Affinity Complex (DAC™) and Preformed Conjugate-Drug Affinity Complex (PC-DAC™) are the technology platforms behind the development of specialized drugs by ConjuChem. Each DAC™ and PC-DAC™ construct has three parts: a drug component responsible for the biological activity, a linker attached to the drug component, and a reactive chemistry group at the opposite end of the linker, which is responsible for the covalent bonding of the construct to albumin.

The Company believes it can successfully incorporate many known drug components like small molecules and therapeutic peptides into DAC™ and PC-DAC™ constructs, effectively allowing ConjuChem to choose target compounds principally based on medical need and commercial potential. These constructs are administered by means of subcutaneous injection. They can be designed to covalently bond to albumin after they are injected into the body (in vivo bioconjugation; DAC™) or before injection (ex vivo bioconjugation; PC-DAC™). The bioconjugates provide the therapeutic benefits in the body.

The process of bioconjugation partially protects the drug component of the construct from the normal metabolism and excretion processes in the body (eg, kidney excretion, liver metabolism, and enzyme breakdown in the blood). The complete DAC™ and PC-DAC™ bioconjugates have extended half-lives in the body as a result of the linkage to albumin to which they bond. This technology provides a very long duration of drug effect (from days to one week) compared with the brief duration of activity for the original drug alone, usually minutes to a few hours.

DAC™ and PC-DAC™ technology platforms bond the therapeutic peptide to albumin found in the body (in vivo) or recombinant albumin (ex vivo). Albumin is an attractive target for bioconjugation. It is the main protein component of the blood (comprising about 60% of all blood serum proteins), and it is present at high levels of concentration throughout the body. Approximately 40% of the body’s albumin is in circulation in the blood, with the balance circulating throughout most of the tissues and organs in the body. DAC™ and PC-DAC™ constructs can reach receptors in both the circulatory system and in most tissues, although they do not cross the blood-brain barrier readily. This reduces the potential for central nervous system side effects.