James Heath

InDi Molecular is commercializing the PCC technology, and has licensed intellectual property (IP) from Caltech related to PCCs. The PCC technology is a molecular platform for building peptide ligands that bind to specific locations (epitopes) of specific protein targets. Those targets may be protein biomarker diagnostic targets, or they may be protein drug targets, as examples.

The PCC technology is being utilized in Project 2 of the NSBCC grant for the purposes of drugging certain oncoproteins, which are proteins that contain at least one point mutation, and, because of that point mutation, are known to promote certain cancers. The Heath lab has recently published a paper with InDi Molecular in this field in Nature Chemistry. That paper represented a technology demonstration, not a demonstration of a viable drug candidate. That PCC was only cell-penetrating with the addition of what is known as a cell penetrating peptide, which would rule out its use as a drug. AktE17K, the subject of the Nature Chemistry paper, is also a very rare oncoprotein, and so is not a viable candidate for commercialization. As such, that project will not be moving forward other than for purposes of scientific demonstrations. This is clearly indicated in the NSBCC grant Project 2. Project 2 is, instead, focused on developing an inhibitor to the KRASG12D oncoprotein, which is the most common oncoprotein in cancer. That inhibitor is a joint effort between the Deshaies, Davis, and the Heath labs. Any future commercialization of drugs that are developed through Project 2 would almost certainly require background Intellectual Property (IP) to which InDi Molecular has rights, and thus InDi Molecular has the potential to benefit from work done within the NSBCC. InDi Molecular no longer has Improvement rights with regard to this IP. The management plan for this conflict of interest with regard to collaboration and IP is attached.