– Peer-reviewed publication highlights 22 novel oncogenic HER2 driver mutations identified and experimentally validated with the MAP discovery engine –
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and NEW YORK, May 12, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Black Diamond Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: BDTX), a precision oncology medicine company pioneering the discovery and development of MasterKey therapies, today announced the publication data identify novel oncogenic HER2 allosteric mutations that support the capabilities of the Mutation-Allostery-Pharmacology (MAP) discovery engine and further suggest the need for novel inhibitors to treat HER2-mutant cancers. The article, titled “Computational and functional analyzes of HER2 mutations revealing allosteric activation mechanisms and altered pharmacological effects” by Ishiyama et al. was published online by the Cancer Research Journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) on May 3, 2022.
“At the heart of our precision medicine approach to cancer treatment is the ability to identify novel full-spectrum oncogenic mutations. This study provides strong justification for the power of our MAP discovery engine, as we have identified novel oncogenic allosteric HER2 mutations that further suggest the need for new treatment options. These results support our comprehensive approach to cancer treatment by demonstrating the value and importance of oncogenicity prediction, biological validation, protein conformation-based drug design, and MasterKey inhibitor development against mutation families,” said Elizabeth Buck, Chief Scientific Officer of Black Diamond Therapeutics. “In this study, Black Diamond’s proprietary MAP scoring and functional validation analyzes were able to provide new insights into the oncogenic activity and therapeutic targeting of HER2 mutations in cancer, in addition to identifying 22 novel oncogenic HER2 mutations. . As the number of unique mutations in cancers is expected to increase over time, there remains a need for an efficient means of identifying oncogenic mutations. We believe that our MAP technology has the potential to fill this gap and provide essential information for the use of precision medicine to treat cancers caused by rare oncogenic mutations.
The peer-reviewed article describes computational and functional analyzes of HER2 mutations showing that Black Diamond’s MAP discovery engine has the ability to identify and experimentally validate 22 novel oncogenic HER2 mutations. By applying his computational approach to 820 single-nucleotide variants, a list of 222 known mutations and potential driver mutations was produced. Of these 222 mutations, 37 HER2 mutations were determined experimentally to be driver mutations, consisting of 15 previously characterized oncogenic mutations and 22 newly identified oncogenic mutations. Black Diamond researchers found that these oncogenic mutations primarily affect allosteric sites in the extracellular domain (ECD), transmembrane domain (TMD), and kinase domain (KD) of HER2. Additionally, Black Diamond was able to describe the unique pharmacological characteristics of these novel HER2 driver mutations that make them susceptible to a unique drug discovery screening strategy.
About Black Diamond
Black Diamond Therapeutics is a precision oncology medicine company pioneering the development of novel MasterKey therapies. Black Diamond addresses the significant unmet need for new precision oncology therapies for patients with genetically defined cancers who have limited treatment options. Black Diamond is based on a deep understanding of cancer genetics, oncoprotein function and drug discovery. The Company’s proprietary Mutation-Allostery-Pharmacology, or MAP, drug discovery engine is designed to enable Black Diamond to analyze population-level genetic sequencing tumor data to predict and validate oncogenic mutations that promote cancer in all tumor types as MasterKey mutations. Black Diamond discovers and develops selective MasterKey therapies against these families of oncogenic mutations. Black Diamond was founded by David M. Epstein, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Buck, Ph.D. For more information, please visit www.blackdiamondtherapeutics.com.
Forward-looking statements
Statements in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the MAP Discovery Engine and the potential future benefits of the MAP Discovery Engine, including its ability to identify additional allosteric mutations. All forward-looking statements contained in this statement are based on management’s current expectations regarding future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those stated. or implied by these forward-looking statements. . Risks that contribute to the uncertain nature of forward-looking statements include the risks and uncertainties set forth in the Company’s 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and its other filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. and exchange commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.
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