Hitgen

Our History

Our history

Here is a brief summary of our evolution and successes.

2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2007
2006
2004
2003
2001
2000
1997

2024

  • Entered into a drug discovery collaboration with Hox Therapeutics
  • Entered into a drug discovery collaboration in inflammatory disease with C4X Discovery

2023

  • Entered into a long-term, multi-target research collaboration with Pierre Fabre to identify pre-clinical candidates against a range of oncology targets
  • Dania Therapeutics, co-founded by Vernalis in 2021 to develop a treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), receives an investment of DKK 15 million from a syndicate of investors

2022

  • Entered into a research collaboration with Unison Medicines, working on a “undruggable” anti-infective target. Vernalis also invested in Unison’s first round of financing
  • Entered into a strategic research collaboration with Contera Pharma, targeting an undisclosed neurology target through small molecule-RNA interactions
  • Developed a novel platform technology, PAC-FragmentDEL, combining the diversity of fragment-based drug discovery with the sensitivity of DNA-encoded library technology

2021

  • Entered a research collaboration with Genentech
  • Achieved two research and one pre-clinical milestones in an oncology drug discovery collaboration with Servier, triggering undisclosed milestone payments to Vernalis
  • Vernalis and Hannibal Innovation ApS announced the creation of Dania Therapeutics ApS to discover small molecules inhibitors against new undisclosed oncology targets

2020

  • Announced the achievement of a milestone in the most recent oncology drug discovery collaboration with Servier,  established in 2017 on an undisclosed target
  • Expanded the oncology research collaboration with Servier. The new three-year research collaboration combined Vernalis’ strengths in structure and biophysics-based methods with oncology expertise at Servier, to enable drug discovery related to several undisclosed proteins identified as potential therapeutic targets
  • HitGen (Chengdu, China) acquired Vernalis (R&D) Limited from Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc

2019

  • Entered into a license agreement granting Cumulus Oncology exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialise VER250840, a novel, oral, selective, preclinical Chk1 kinase inhibitor
  • Entered into a research collaboration agreement with PhoreMost on an undisclosed novel oncology target, identified and validated using its phenotypic screening technology

2018

  • Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: LGND) acquired the Vernalis group
  • Success milestones achieved under drug discovery collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo on two undisclosed oncology targets
  • Achieved third success milestone from drug discovery collaboration with Asahi Kasei Pharma on an undisclosed target for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases

2017

  • Achieved 3 milestones in oncology drug discovery collaboration with Servier, including Mcl-1 clinical candidate first time in man, and entered into a fifth research collaboration
  • Achieved a clinical milestone from an adenosine A2A receptor antagonist collaboration with Corvus Pharmaceuticals, who announced positive data from a Phase 1/1b study with single agent CPI-444 in patients with renal cell carcinoma
  • Entered into research collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo on undisclosed oncology targets

2016

  • Achieved milestone in collaboration with Servier for Bcl-2 clinical candidate first time in man

2015

  • Achieved research milestone in collaboration with Asahi Kasei Pharma
  • V158866, the lead molecule arising from our FAAH internal research programme, completed a phase II study in spinal cord injury patients
  • Licensed proprietary adenosine receptor antagonist technology, including lead A2A antagonist V81444 (later CPI-444), for development and commercialisation to Corvus Pharmaceuticals

2014

  • Awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade, endorsing both our talent and capabilities, and recognising achievement in growing overseas earnings through research collaborations
  • Licensed worldwide rights in vipadenant, a small molecule A2A receptor antagonist, for use in immuno-oncology to RedoxTherapies (a BMS company)
  • Entered into a fourth research collaboration with Servier

2013

  • Achieved a third milestone in a drug discovery collaboration with H. Lundbeck A/S
  • Entered into a research collaboration with Asahi Kasei Pharma on an undisclosed target for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases

2012

  • Entered into a drug discovery collaboration with Genentech (now completed) utilising Vernalis’ fragment and structure-based drug discovery platform against an undisclosed target
  • Achieved a pre-clinical milestone in the first oncology research collaboration with Servier

2011

  • Positive results obtained from a Phase I trial of V158866, a FAAH inhibitor with potential application in a wide range of pain and other indications
  • Hsp90 inhibitor, NVP-AUY922 achieved clinical proof of concept
  • Two milestones from research collaboration with H. Lundbeck A/S on LRRK2 inhibitors obtained
  • Entered into a third research collaboration with Servier

2010

  • Entered into a collaboration with H. Lundbeck A/S on LRRK2, inhibitors of which have utility for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease

2009

  • Entered into a collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (now completed) over a novel Vernalis oncology programme
  • Entered into a second oncology research collaboration with Servier

2007

  • First research collaboration with Servier (which is still active); growing expertise in biophysical methods such as ITC and SPR

2006

  • Research concentrated on Granta Park site with in-house projects on oncology targets

2004

  • Hsp90 pre-clinical candidate partnered with Novartis, although this has since terminated and the rights have been returned to Vernalis

2003

  • Series of mergers created Vernalis plc, combining the expertise of RiboTargets with CNS targets and GPCR pharmacology from Vernalis Group in Winnersh, as well as DMPK capability, a clinical pipeline and a marketed product, frovatriptan

2001

  • Research changed focus to oncology protein targets; development of the SeeDs fragment-based discovery platform

2000

  • Structure-based discovery of inhibitors of the 30S subunit of the ribosome; established X-ray crystallography

1997

  • RiboTargets established fragment- and structure-based drug discovery against RNA targets; established macromolecular NMR spectroscopy