Target Identification

Sygnature Discovery’s Target Identification platform: The right target makes every hit count!

Why Sygnature Discovery

In the complex landscape of modern drug discovery, identifying and validating the right target is critical. Sygnature Discovery’s Target Identification and Validation (TI/TV) platform is designed to streamline this process—bringing together cutting-edge technology, scientific expertise, and real-world validation to ensure your therapeutic strategy is built on a solid foundation.

What do we offer?

Sygnature has adopted a semi-automated, human-in-the-loop, AI/ML facilitated approach which allows extensive customisation to different client needs and a range of therapeutic modalities. Selected targets can be rapidly progressed through to experimental target validation and into either hit identification or knowledge-guided design projects. This is enabled by Sygnature’s extensive platform technologies.

Sygnature’s TI/TV capability can be used to identify potential targets and then triage them or can be applied to targets supplied by a client. Scoring criteria can be adapted, for example depending on whether a first-in-class or best-in-class type of therapeutic agent is sought.

How do we do this?

Our Target Identification and Validation Workflow has five phases. Each phase builds upon the last, providing a seamless transition from target selection to integrated drug discovery project and can be tailored to your project specific needs. Direct entry at stages 2, 3 or 4 is also supported and the process is modularised to fit with client timelines and budgets. A collaborative approach is taken throughout.

Our methodology can be applied:

• to any therapeutic modality: e.g. small molecules, peptides, ADCs, PROTACs, molecular glues
• across all therapeutic areas: including oncology, neurology, cardiovascular, inflammation and metabolic diseases. Sygnature’s Therapeutic Area Leads provide deep knowledge and experience.
• to provide evaluation beyond scoring: disease relevance, safety, feasibility, and differentiation over competition

Our Strengths

• AI-informed: Brings clarity to the complexity of modern data overload. Our in-house developed, AI-driven analytics tool – AI4Lit coupled with public domain and highly curated commercial data sources (eg Qiagen IPA, Reaxys, OpenTargets) enables efficient literature and patent review. Automated approaches combine data from many resources and score targets based on agreed criteria whilst SygDesign, Sygnature’s property prediction ML workbench1, allows rapid, standardised property profiling. Protein structure prediction methods, eg fold prediction based algorithms, can be used where appropriate.
• Expert-guided: Ensures every decision is meaningful. Multidisciplinary integrated drug discovery teams carefully consider the relevant data to ensure that each target selected is strategically aligned with your therapeutic goals. In a world where data reproducibility and data coverage offer significant limitations, this step is essential in influencing selection of the most suitable targets.
• Lab-validated: We don’t just predict, we prove. Real world validation is performed to verify the compound data and assays on which a potential project is built using in vitro and in vivo capabilities. This is supported by state-of-the-art laboratories and instrumentation.
• Focus on Deliverables: Selected targets are accompanied with transparent rationales, based on the SWOT analysis framework2, for their potential utility in development of new therapeutics. Any areas of concern or de-risking strategies needed are highlighted, consistent with a drug discovery project resulting in a commercially viable therapeutic agent based on the current level of knowledge. Research, by its nature, has inherent risks and limitations, and recognising and tackling these as early as possible is important in strategic positioning. Clear plans as to how to progress the target into drug discovery, drawing on Sygnature’s extensive capabilities in small molecule design, PROTACs, ADCs, macrocycles and other ‘beyond Rof5’ therapeutic agents can be provided.

Continuous Development

The scientific and technological worlds are evolving rapidly. We continuously review our approaches and bring in new capabilities where appropriate, one example of which is our recent strategic alliance with Bullfrog AI.

Customer Recommendations:

Our established platform is recommended by our customers and generates repeat business. Client-focussed delivery and customisability is central to the approach.An example of customer feedback, in this case from a pharmaceutical client with whom Sygnature has a well-established relationship, is below: