Gordian tested drug targets 1 327 times in living models of six diseases

Gordian tested drug targets 1 327 times in living models of six diseases

On August 26, drug developer Gordian Biotechnology reported that its Mosaic Screening system had collected 1 327 measurements of the effects of genetic interventions in models of six chronic diseases. The company examined how these interventions altered cells in diseased tissue and then compared those changes with organ function.

In drug discovery, a target is a protein, gene, or other biological entity that a treatment is designed to affect. Mosaic Screening places cells carrying different barcoded genetic interventions into the same diseased tissue. Each barcode links a cell to a specific intervention, while single-cell RNA measurements show which genes have become more or less active in that cell.

The cellular map shows how each intervention changes the state of a cell. Gordian supplements this map with measures of organ function by assessing the lungs, kidneys, and heart. This approach allows the company to connect cellular changes with disease status and select targets for drug development programs.

In the spring, Gordian Chief Scientific Officer Martin Borch Jensen discussed validating cellular changes against organ function and outcomes. In June, Gordian presented separate validation studies for kidney disease and obesity. The latest report combines results across several diseases into a single map containing 1 327 measurements.

The company cites Omen 13, an osteoarthritis therapy in development, as an example of this selection process. According to Gordian, the program was selected following a screen of 197 independently barcoded interventions. It is now undergoing studies intended to support an application to begin clinical trials in the United States.