Xigen’s technology

Xigen has a leading proprietary position in the selective cellular targeting of stabilised peptide drugs. The cell-penetrating peptides are designed to inhibit the intracellular activity of proteins such as kinases and proteases. Peptides have numerous advantages over small molecule therapeutics, including high activity and specificity and lower toxicity. Xigen’s technology overcomes two of the major disadvantages of peptide therapeutics, namely their low metabolic stability and their difficulty in crossing biological membranes. The company’s IP portfolio covers both drug products and know-how related to carrier-mediated cellular targeting.

Xigen’s cellular targeting technology is based on proprietary carrier motifs that allow the efficient delivery of peptides to specific intracellular targets in disease-relevant cell types which they would otherwise be unable to penetrate. This technology permits the use of far lower doses to elicit therapeutic effects, further reducing the risk of nonspecific interactions and toxicity. Xigen’s proprietary carriers can also be coupled to a wide range of other therapeutics, including small molecules, natural products, siRNA sequences and peptide hormones.

Xigen’s drug discovery is entirely driven by computer-assisted drug design (CADD), enabling it to develop peptides with extended half-lives and affinities that are made-to-measure for each therapeutic target and route of administration. Xigen selects protein targets with known crystal structures in order to optimize the binding of its peptide therapeutics. Exceptional drug stability is achieved by using retro-inverse syntheses and D-amino acids, rendering the drugs highly resistant to hydrolysis.