Therasis has pioneered an integrated drug discovery process, the TherasisFilter™, which leverages recent advances in the field of cancer systems biology. The TherasisFilter combines high-throughput screening with the assembly and interrogation of disease –specific molecular interaction networks to identify therapeutic targets, their small-molecule modulators and associated biomarkers for clinical development. Rather than being compiled from the literature, molecular interaction networks are reconstructed de novo from tumor-derived molecular profiles using state-of-the-art reverse engineering algorithms developed at Columbia University, which have been licensed to Therasis on an exclusive basis. The integration of high-throughput screening assays and systems biology approaches allows the prioritization of compounds and compound combinations based on the overlap between their mechanism of action and the specific subset of molecular interactions that are altered in the tumor. This dynamic, model-driven discovery process enables the identification of potentially synergistic compound interactions without relying on traditional brute force screening approaches. This innovative and integrative approach represents a major advance over existing technologies designed to identify single-agent and combination therapies based on cytotoxicity alone. Additionally, by coupling genetic and epigenetic variability with specific patterns of molecular interaction network alterations, the Therasis Filter™ will help identify treatments that are optimally matched to a patient's molecular profile.

The Therasis Filter™ supports the fast and streamlined identification of:

• New chemical entities, targeting the specific cellular network alterations of a specific tumor type
• Potentially synergistic compound combinations
• Potential biomarkers of drug activity to guide clinical development
• Unique target effects of new chemical entities and existing drugs to allow for more rational combination of targeted therapies