HAMBURG, Germany, & BOULDER, Colorado, USA — May 9, 2025 — Think Bioscience, a small molecule discovery company that leverages synthetic biology to find novel binding pockets on challenging drug targets, and CrystalsFirst, a leader in structure-based drug discovery solutions, today announced that their ongoing collaboration has led to the identification of novel mechanisms of action for several difficult targets in Think Bioscience’s pipeline. Building on this success, the two companies have agreed to expand their partnership.
In their initial collaboration, Think Bioscience’s researchers worked closely with CrystalsFirst’s team to apply the MAGNET platform to challenging targets. This approach rapidly generated abundant structural data enabled by the SmartSoak®-technology. The rich structural data and structure-guided compound designs have not only accelerated the progression from targets to lead candidates but also unveiled new binding mechanisms. These novel insights are enabling Think Bioscience to devise therapeutic strategies that were not possible using conventional methods.
Buoyed by their early success, the two companies will expand their collaboration to include additional pipeline programs and expanded use of the MAGNET platform. By continuing to integrate CrystalsFirst’s structural biology capabilities early in the discovery process, Think Bioscience aims to accelerate first-in-class drug programs that address high unmet medical need. This expanded partnership underscores the commitment of both Think Bioscience and CrystalsFirst to push the boundaries of drug discovery for challenging targets.
“We are thrilled with the results achieved by our collaboration with CrystalsFirst,” said Jerome Fox, Ph.D., co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Think Bioscience. “CrystalsFirst’s MAGNET platform exceeded our expectations by rapidly delivering high-resolution structural data, including novel mechanistic insights, to guide medicinal chemistry. We look forward to expanding our partnership with CrystalsFirst to leverage their platform across even more targets.”
“Think Bioscience’s innovative synthetic biology platform is redefining how the industry approaches difficult-to-drug targets,” said Serghei Glinca, Ph.D., co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of CrystalsFirst. “By combining Think’s breakthrough biology with our MAGNET platform, we rapidly revealed tractable binding sites and novel chemistry for challenging targets. We are excited to expand our collaboration and continue fueling Think’s innovative pipeline with cutting-edge technology in structural biology and AI, ultimately accelerating the path from targets to promising drug candidates.”
Think Bioscience is a privately held small molecule discovery company based in Boulder, Colorado, focused on developing therapeutics against targets that have historically been considered “undruggable”. The company’s proprietary platform combines applied microbiology, enzymology, and data science to program microbes to discover novel functional binding pockets. By unveiling novel mechanisms of biomolecular engagement, Think Bioscience’s approach enables the discovery of first-in-class programs for diseases with high unmet need. For more information, please visit: thinkbioscience.com
CrystalsFirst is a leading specialist in structure-based drug discovery and target enablement. Founded in 2018, CrystalsFirst has developed the MAGNET platform, a breakthrough technology platform that integrates advanced crystallographic techniques with artificial intelligence to unlock chemical matter for difficult targets. The platform’s components include SmartSoak®, which accelerates the path and increase the success rate protein-ligand co-structures, and FragAI, a proprietary generative AI system for molecular design and optimization. Using this unique “structure-first” approach, CrystalsFirst has successfully enabled over 40 drug targets, empowering pharma and biotech partners to design novel modulators for proteins that were previously intractable. For more information, please visit: crystalsfirst.com
Dr. Serghei Glinca
CEO, CrystalsFirst GmbH
serghei.glinca@crystalsfirst.com
Philip Jeng
COO, Think Bioscience
pjeng@thinkbioscience.com