02 July 2025 | Wednesday | News
RDP Pharma AG, a Swiss biotechnology company focused on next-generation protein degradation therapeutics, and the Experimental Drug Development Centre (EDDC), Singapore’s national platform for drug discovery and development hosted by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), announced a strategic research collaboration to jointly discover and develop monovalent targeted protein degraders as potential new therapeutic options for patients with chronic and debilitating autoimmune diseases.
Epidemiological studies have shown that the global incidence and prevalence of autoimmune diseases are rising, with some estimates suggesting annual increases of 19.1% and 12.5%, respectively. The number of incident cases of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and inflammatory bowel disease has grown worldwide. Despite advances in autoimmune disease therapies, there remains a need for treatments with fewer side effects, better or more sustained efficacy, and options for patients who do not respond to existing treatments.
RDP Pharma and EDDC are partnering to address this by combining RDP Pharma’s proprietary PromptDegrader™ platform and expertise in rational protein degrader design with EDDC’s integrated capabilities in target biology, drug discovery, and translational research. The partnership aims to develop an oral therapeutic that selectively degrades a key driver of dysfunctional immune responses in autoimmune diseases.
“This collaboration leverages the unique strengths of both organisations,” said Dr Markus Muellner, Chief Technology Officer of RDP Pharma AG. “Our platform enables rational design of precision degraders against hard-to-drug targets, and EDDC’s deep expertise in target biology and translational research provides the ideal framework to accelerate development. Together, we aim to unlock new therapeutic avenues in inflammatory diseases where current treatments fall short.”
"This partnership with RDP Pharma exemplifies our commitment to pioneering novel therapeutic approaches,” said Prof Damian O’Connell, Chief Executive Officer of EDDC. “It also builds on our ongoing efforts to strengthen capabilities in monovalent small molecule degrader development. By combining EDDC’s expertise in drug discovery with RDP Pharma’s innovative degrader platform, we aim to accelerate the development of new treatments—creating a transformative impact for patients with chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. It also reinforces our broader mission to collaborate with innovative biotech firms and strengthen Singapore’s drug discovery ecosystem.”
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