OUR SCIENCE

We generate selective compounds leveraging

our proprietary G-SMART™ platform

Our Science

Genosco is a biotech specializing in
protein-targeted therapeutics.

Of several protein targets, we are currently focusing on developing and optimizing selective kinase-targeted treatments based on
our unique library of protein targets and know-how accumulated over the years.

Kinase

Kinases are enzymes that catalyze the transfer of a phosphate group from Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a cellular energy source, to a substrate (protein or fat), and the cellular signaling system is activated through the phosphorylated substrate. Such substrates act as major mediators of intracellular signaling systems that regulate various cellular activities, such as cell growth, differentiation, metabolism, and death.

In humans, proteins with kinase activity are transcribed from 900 genes, and more than 538 kinases are known to exist.
Kinases that act abnormally through a variety of pathways have been shown to cause a number of diseases including cancer.

  • Role of Kinase in Human Disease

    Kinase target candidates have been reported to have a significantly higher success rate than other targets in the clinical stage. This is because 1) The relationship between the cause of a disease and a kinase has been well established, and 2) Clear biomarkers are available for clinical trials, which enables effective classification of clinical patients. Owing to these characteristics, kinases have changed the approach of targeted therapies, providing a broader therapeutic window with far lower toxicity than conventional chemotherapies, and are now considered a symbol of targeted therapy. Attesting to this, as of January 2024, 80 new small molecule drugs based on kinase inhibition have been approved by the FDA. There are, however, less than 20 kinases that are related to new drugs licensed so far, and thus, there is plenty of room for developing additional new drugs through numerous kinases that have not yet been approved as targets. For this reason, the field of kinase-based drug development is being actively researched in various areas, including new targets, improvement of existing targets, and overcoming resistance, and the related market is expected to continue growing to a $45 billion market by 2024.