UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Not Applicable
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class |
Trading |
Name of each exchange | ||
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.
Monte Rosa Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) will be conducting meetings with investors attending the 40th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference (the “Conference”), which is taking place virtually beginning on January 10, 2022. As part of these meetings, the Company will deliver its revised corporate presentation, furnished to this report as Exhibit 99.1 and which is incorporated herein by reference (the “Materials”). The Company will also present a portion of the Materials at the Conference.
The information in this report furnished pursuant to Item 7.01, including Exhibit 99.1, shall not be deemed “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section. It may only be incorporated by reference in another filing under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, if such subsequent filing specifically references the information furnished pursuant to Item 7.01 of this report.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits
| Exhibit No. |
Description | |
| 99.1 | Corporate presentation furnished by Monte Rosa Therapeutics, Inc. on January 10, 2022 | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) | |
Signatures
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| Monte Rosa Therapeutics, Inc. | ||||||||
| Date: January 10, 2022 | By: | /s/ Markus Warmuth |
||||||
| Markus Warmuth | ||||||||
| President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
From Serendipity to Rational Design Taking Molecular Glue Degraders to New Heights | January 2022 Exhibit 99.1
These materials include express and implied “forward-looking statements,” including forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts, and in some cases, can be identified by terms such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “objective,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing,” or the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology intended to identify statements about the future. Forward-looking statements contained in these materials include, but are not limited to, statements about our product development activities, including our expectations around the ongoing development of our QuEENTM platform and in silico tools, the advancement of our pipeline and the various products therein, including -the timing for filing our IND for our GSPT1 program and the advancement of additional programs, the expansion of our compound and degron libraries, our ability to identify additional molecular glue degraders, and our scientific predictions around clinical opportunities for our programs, including for GSPT1 program. By their nature, these statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including the impact that the current COVID-19 pandemic will have on our development activities and operations, as well as those risks and uncertainties set forth in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021 filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and any subsequent filings, that could cause actual results, performance or achievement to differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the statements. You should not rely upon forward looking statements as predictions of future events. Although our management believes that the expectations reflected in our statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that the future results, performance or events and circumstances described in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur. Recipients are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date such statements are made and should not be construed as statements of fact. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, any future presentations or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Certain information contained in these materials and any statements made orally during any presentation of these materials that relate to the materials or are based on studies, publications, surveys and other data obtained from third-party sources and our own internal estimates and research. While we believe these third-party studies, publications, surveys and other data to be reliable as of the date of these materials, it has not independently verified, and makes no representations as to the adequacy, fairness, accuracy or completeness of, any information obtained from third-party sources. In addition, no independent source has evaluated the reasonableness or accuracy of our internal estimates or research and no reliance should be made on any information or statements made in these materials relating to or based on such internal estimates and research. Forward-Looking Statements
Monte Rosa Therapeutics Highlights Taking molecular glue degraders (MGDs) to new heights World-class leadership & SAB with deep drug discovery know-how and development expertise in precision medicine Next-generation molecular glue-based targeted protein degradation platform developing breakthrough small molecule drugs that selectively degrade therapeutically-relevant proteins Targeting the undruggable proteome via AI-based degron prediction & rational design of highly selective MGDs IND for GSPT1 program expected in 2022 with clinical development planned in Myc-driven tumors Five disclosed programs targeting high unmet medical needs in oncology and non-oncology indications
World-Class Leadership Deep expertise in molecular glue discovery, drug development and precision medicine Jullian Jones, Ph.D., J.D., MBA Chief Business Officer Markus Warmuth, M.D. Chief Executive Officer Ajim Tamboli, CFA Chief Financial Officer John Castle, Ph.D. Chief Data Scientist Silvia Buonamici, Ph.D. SVP, Drug Discovery Biology Filip Janku, M.D., Ph.D. Chief Medical Officer Sharon Townson, Ph.D. Chief Technology Officer Owen Wallace, Ph.D. Chief Scientific Officer Phil Nickson, Ph.D., J.D. SVP, Head, Legal Operations Jennifer Champoux, Vice President, Operations
Strong Cash Position and Investor Support Over $455M raised since 2020 with top tier investors provides runway into late 2024 Aggregate IPO gross proceeds were approximately $255.6 million before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses and include an additional $33.3 million in gross proceeds the company received as part of its IPO from the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase up to an additional 1,755,000 shares of common stock at the public offering price of $19.00 per share. Series A $32.5M April 14, 2020 Series B $96.0M September 14, 2020 Series C $95.0M March 11, 2021 IPO $255.6M* June 28, 2021 $367M Cash as of 9/30/21
Expanding Target Space through Molecular Glue Degraders (MGDs) 3-10% of Proteome Uncharted Chemical and Target Space Drugging the Druggable Inhibitors Drugging the Undruggable MGDs Redrugging the Druggable PROTACs E3 Ligase UNDRUGGABLE TARGETS DRUGGABLE TARGETS E3 Ligase DRUGGABLE TARGETS
The Next Generation of Precision Medicine-based Small Molecule Drugs Selectively editing the human proteome with rationally designed MGDs Traditional small molecule inhibitors Therapeutic Antibodies RNAi, RNA Editing CRISPR/Gene Therapy MGDs Ability to access undruggable space Cellular permeability Oral bioavailability Systemic distribution CNS Penetration Manufacturing scalability
Our Rational Approach to Unleash the Full Potential of MGDs Beyond cereblon Beyond the canonical degrome Unraveling the canonical degrome Expanding the Degradable Proteome Neosubstrates - E.g. IKZF1 MGD E.g. Lenalidomide Cereblon
QuEEN™ Discovery Platform Quantitative and Engineered Elimination of Neosubstrates
Degron encyclopedia QuEEN™ Discovery Platform: A Target-Centric Approach to MGDs Cereblon binding (pIC50) 5 7 Molecular weight (Da) 190 300 Degron discovery using proprietary AI-powered algorithm Rationally designed, diverse and growing library engaging a variety of degrons Proprietary MGD library Accessing a large pool of undruggable targets with a diverse MGD library Sequence Topology Surface 1000s of proteins across multiple degrons GlueomicsTM toolbox Specialized suite of in vitro and in silico assays to discover, optimize and advance MGDs as clinical candidates Protein fold-change; (log2) p-value
A Rich, Differentiated Target Space Across Protein Domains and Diseases Degron-containing domains Broad disease landscape Many highly credentialed targets >85% degrons have unique sequence >75% undruggable Diverse protein domains and classes Degron Encyclopedia >3000 proteins containing a predicted loop degron Predicted degrons
Increasing MGD scaffold diversity Library design and expansion Increasing Novelty and Structural Diversity to Match the Target Space Scaffold evolution Tanimoto similarity 0.6 1 Design focused on optimal drug-like properties High structural diversity and novelty Current library size 20K MGDs 0.8 MGD library is derived from > 400 unique low molecular weight scaffolds with favorable CRBN binding affinities 0.4 Lenalidomide (reference point) Cereblon binding (pIC50) 5 7 Molecular weight (Da) 190 300
Multiple points of contact for dialing in selectivity and potency MGDs are rationally designed to exploit key contacts to selectively engage different neosubstrates MGDs Reprogram the Cereblon Surface Remodeled MGD-CRBN surface enables selective engagement of neosubstrates Effective ternary complex generation involves MGD-cereblon interactions MGD-neosubstrate interactions CRBN-neosubstrate interactions MGDs reshape the cereblon surface through different exit vector geometries Neosubstrates are engaged selectively through unique interactions with both MGD and cereblon MGD MGD Neosubstrate E3 ligase MGD
in vitro screens Glueomics™ Toolbox Accelerates Identification of MGDs Multiple assays enable rapid identification and validation of MGDs for novel targets Chemoproteomics - proximity Protein fold-change; (log2) p-value Turbo-ID Cellular Biochemical Proteome-wide expression TMT Proteomics to evaluate: Proteome-wide changes in protein levels MGD selectivity Protein fold-change; (log2) p-value
Rhapsody, QuEEN’s in silico Engine A suite of proprietary AI-powered algorithms to design, discover and develop MGDs Taking MGD discovery in silico to accelerate discovery Creation and E3 ligase docking of novel MGDs, expanding our library to engage more targets Ternary complex models enabling MRT scientists to engineer and optimize selective MGDs Computational screening identifying and prioritizing hits inducing binding and selective degradation in silico library generation in silico ternary complex models in silico MGD screening Neosubstrate E3 ligase MGD E3 ligase Novel in silico MGDs MGD library Neosubstrate E3 ligase
Targets Clinical Path Leveraging a Leading Drug Discovery Platform Purpose-built to discover and develop a wide landscape of therapeutically-relevant MGDs Undruggable and inadequately drugged degron-containing proteins High level of target validation, preclinically and clinically Programs with biomarker-based patient selection strategy and clear path to the clinic Opportunity for rapid clinical PoC for MOA and efficacy Address high unmet needs Potential to address a wide range of therapeutically-relevant proteins in oncology and beyond Create synergies within therapeutic areas Monte Rosa’s High-Value Proprietary Pipeline Patient Benefit
Monte Rosa Pipeline Rapidly advancing wholly owned MGD programs targeting undruggable proteins Oncology Autoinflammation Oncology / immunology Genetic diseases GSPT1 NSCLC, SCLC and other MYC-driven Malignancies CDK2 Ovarian Cancer, Breast Cancer NEK7 Inflammatory Diseases VAV1 T and B Cell Malignancies, Autoimmune Disease Discovery Target / Program Indication(s) IND filing mid-2022 BCL11A SCD, β-Thalassemia Next Anticipated Milestones Ownership Undisclosed Multiple IND-Enabling Clinical IND-Enabling Studies Lead Optimization
GSPT1 Program
Targeting Myc-driven Tumors and Their Addiction to Protein Translation GSPT1 is a key regulator and vulnerability of Myc-induced translational addiction To sustain growth, Myc-driven tumors are addicted to protein translation Myc regulates the expression of key genes related to protein translation, including the master regulator 4EBP1 and eIF4E This addiction to protein translation creates a dependency to the translation termination factor GSPT1 a degron-containing protein GSPT1 MGDs exploit this vulnerability by: Disrupting protein translation output Reducing Myc-oncogenic signaling Myc hijacks the cellular protein translation machinery creating a vulnerability to GSPT1
MRT-2359 is a potent inducer of GSPT1-cereblon proximity MRT-2359 is a selective GSPT1-directed MGD MRT-2359 is a Potent and Selective GSPT1-directed MGD GAPDH IKZF1 IKZF3 ZFP91 CK1a GSPT1 - 0.3 3 30 30 30 6hr post treatment in MM1S and Kelly (SALL4) - - - - + - - - - - - + SALL4 1hr post treatment Protein fold-change; (log2) p-value MRT-2359, mM Bortezomib MLN-4924 Proximity – Turbo ID Ternary complex model in vitro data CRBN binding, Ki 113 nM Ternary complex, EC50 < 7 nM Degradation, DC50 80 nM Degron MRT-2359 GSPT1 CRBN
Myc-Driven NSCLC lines are Highly Sensitive to MRT-2359 Myc-driven NSCLC cell lines are sensitive to MRT-2359 Each dot represents a cell line MRT-2359 induces GSPT1 degradation in all cell models, but selective killing in high N-Myc lines only Viability GSPT1 western blot at 6 hr (N-Myc high) and 24 hr (low). 72 hr viability assay (CTG) GSPT1 degradation Myc-driven Non-Myc-driven
MRT-2359 Affects N-Myc Pathway only in Myc-driven Cells GSPT1 N-Myc 0.03 0.3 3 - 0.03 0.3 3 0.03 0.3 3 Tubulin 0 6 hr 24 hr 48hr MRT-2359 (μM) Myc-driven (NCI-H1155) - - 0.03 0.3 3 - GSPT1-directed MGD degradation affects translation, a critical vulnerability of Myc-driven cells Non-Myc-driven (NCI-H2023) N-Myc not detected GSPT1 N-Myc 0.03 0.3 3 - 0.03 0.3 3 0.03 0.3 3 Tubulin 0 6 hr 24 hr 48hr MRT-2359 (μM) - - 0.03 0.3 3 -
Oral dosing of MRT-2359 shows anti-tumor activity and regressions in NCI-1155 Dose- and time-dependent degradation of GSPT1 is associated with N-Myc downregulation MRT-2359 Induces Tumor Regressions in N-Myc-driven Xenograft Models Similar observations in other high N-Myc expression models (ABC-1, NCI-H1770) Day 5 1 mg/kg 10 mg/kg MRT-2359 plasma concentration N-Myc protein level GSPT1 protein level
MRT-2359 Anti-tumor Activity in L- and N-Myc-positive NSCLC PDXs Tumor progression to ≥800 mm3
Targeting Myc-positive Tumors with MRT-2359 Potential indications and patient stratification hypotheses Patient diagnosed incidence #s, major markets (US, EU and JP): Decision Resources Group (DRG) Patient stratification %s: Schaub - Cell Systems 2018; Massó-Vallés – Exp. Op. therapeutic targets 2020; Sesques and Johnson - Blood 2016 Non-small cell lung cancer 352K patients (LUAD + SCC) – 7-10% L-Myc overexpression/amplification Diffuse large B-cell lymphomas 67K patients – 30% N-Myc overexpression/amplification c-Myc amplification c-Myc translocation/rearrangement Triple-neg breast cancer 68K patients – 30% Ovarian cancer 63K patients – 64% Other c-/L-/N-Myc driven tumors Bladder cancer Uterine cancer Neuroendocrine lung cancer, Lu-NET Neuroendocrine prostate cancer, NEPC Small cell lung cancer 66K patients – 50%
Early Phase Clinical Development Dose Level 1 MTD or RDE Expansion cohorts Dose escalation BOIN design Lung cancer (NSCLC, SCLC), solid tumors with L-/N-Myc amplification and diffuse large B-cell lymphomas SCLC – Enriched for high L-/N-Myc expression NSCLC – Enriched for high L-/N-Myc expression Dose Level 2 Dose Level X Solid tumors – L-/N-Myc amplification Dose Level 3
Targeting Myc-addicted Tumors with MRT-2359 IND-enabling activities have been initiated Rationally designed potent and selective GSPT1-directed MGD Favorable drug-like properties and ADMET profile Orally bioavailable development candidate Robust antitumor activity in vivo in multiple tumor models IND-enabling activities ongoing Patient stratification hypothesis developed and being validated IND filing expected in mid-2022
NEK7 Program
NEK7 (NIMA-Related Kinase 7) as a Target for Inflammatory Disease NEK7 is an essential regulator of the inflammasome Pyroptosis Gasdermin D Active NLRP3 inflammasome Cytokines secretion Pro-IL-1β Pro-IL-18 IL-18 IL-1β NEK7 NLRP3 Pro-Caspase-1 ASC N-terminal C-terminal N-terminal Caspase-1 N-terminal Therapeutic hypothesis: Diseases with over-activated or mutated NLRP3 inflammasome NEK7 licenses NLRP3 assembly in a kinase independent manner NEK7-deficient macrophages are severely impaired in IL-1β and IL-18 secretion Clinical opportunity: First-in-class NEK7 degraders for Over-activated NLRP3 inflammasome: metabolic pathologies, cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory issues and neurologic disorders NLRP3 activating mutations: Cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS)
Rationally Designed NEK7-Directed MGDs are Selective Rhapsody model enables rapid chemistry optimization NEK7-directed MGD promotes selective degradation of NEK7 Rationally designed MGDs promote selective CRBN proximity TMT-Proteomics – 24hr post treatment Turbo-ID – 6hr post treatment Protein fold-change; (log2) p-value Protein fold-change; (log2) p-value in vitro data CRBN binding, Ki 48 nM Ternary complex, EC50 20 nM Degradation, DC50 10 nM Degron MGD NEK7 CRBN
NEK7-directed MGDs Modulate NLRP3 Pathway in Human Macrophages MRT-3483 promotes NEK7 degradation and pathway engagement in hMDMs NEK7-directed MGD compared to NLRP3 inhibitor MRT-3483 (nM) + LPS + Nigericin Treatment (6hr) of primed hMDMs Treatment (20 hr) of primed hMDMs Western blot – 24 hr IL-18 IL-1β LPS + Nigericin Inzomelid LPS + Nigericin Inzomelid DC50: 3.2nM Dmax: 100% CASP1 and LDH showed similar profile
Overactivation of the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Diseases *Muckle-Wells Syndrome **familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome, #Chronic infantile neurological cutaneous and articular/neonatal onset multisystem inflammatory disease Over-activated NLRP3 inflammasome Pro-IL-1β Pro-IL-18 IL-18 IL-1β Liver Liver fibrosis Liver damage Brain Parkinson’s disease Alzheimer’s disease Multiple sclerosis ALS Psychiatric disorders Joints Gout Rheumatoid arthritis Intestine Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) Kidney Nephrotic syndrome SLE NACHT LRR C-terminal NEK7 Activating mutations NLRP3 activating mutations NLRP3 NLRP3 mutations found in CAPS (Cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes – MWS*, FCAS**, CINCA/NOMID# Syndrome) might stabilize the active form of NLRP3 Heart Myocardial infarction Diabetic cardiomyopathy Lung Asthma ARDS Metabolism Obesity Type II Diabetes Artherosclerosis
CDK2 Program
CDK2 as a Target for Selected Solid Tumors Therapeutic hypothesis: Tumors with CDK2 pathway activation by: CyclinE1/E2 amplification or loss of AMBRA1 Loss of RB Clinical Opportunity: CDK2 driven cancers: ER positive breast cancer (444K patients), ovarian cancer (63K patients), and endometrial cancer (118K patients), as well as breast cancer post treatment with CDK4/6 inhibitors CDK2 is one of the key regulators of the cell cycle
Rationally Designed CDK2-Directed MGDs are Selective Rhapsody model enables rapid chemistry optimization CDK2-directed MGD promotes selective degradation Rationally designed MGD promotes selective CRBN proximity TMT-Proteomics – 24hr post treatment Turbo-ID – 6hr post treatment Protein fold-change; (log2) p-value in vitro data CRBN binding, Ki 163 nM Ternary complex, EC50 9 nM Protein fold-change; (log2) p-value Program advanced to lead optimization in Q4 2021 Degron MGD CDK2 CRBN
VAV1 and BCL11a Programs
VAV1 as a Target for Autoimmune Disease Therapeutic hypothesis: Diseases with VAV1 activating mutations or autoimmune disorders VAV1 activation mutations identified in leukemia, lymphoma and lung cancer VAV1 KO mice improved multiple autoimmune models Clinical Opportunity: First-in-class VAV1 degraders for T-cell and B-cell lymphomas: DLBCL (66K patients) and Burkitt lymphoma Autoimmune disorders including MS (1.2M patients), myasthenia gravis (36K – 60K patients in US), and acute graft-versus-host disease (10K patients) VAV1 plays a key role in T-cell and B-cell development and activation Activated VAV1 B-cell T-cell BCR TCR VAV1 VAV1 Rho/Rac GTPase Calcium flux ERK-MAP kinase NF-kappa b NFAT GEF activity Non-GEF activity Immuno synapse formation CD19 LAT ZAP-70 SLP-76 Syk GADS Patient diagnosed prevalence and incidence #s, major markets (US, EU and JP): DRG; myasthenia.org
BCL11A as a Target for Hemoglobinopathies (SCD and β-Thalassemia) Therapeutic hypothesis: Reactivate expression of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) to compensate for mutated adult globin Clinical Opportunity: First-in-class BCL11A degraders for Sickle cell disease (SCD) 155,000 patients (US and EU) >6M patients (ROW) β-thalassemia 17,000 patients (US and EU) BCL11A is the zinc finger transcription repressor of the fetal globin genes Patient diagnosed prevalence #s: DRG; www.notaloneinsicklecell.com
Summary
Monte Rosa Therapeutics From serendipity to rational design of MGDs Proprietary, target-centric drug discovery platform enabling rational design, and anticipated rapid development, of molecular glue-based degraders targeting the undruggable proteome in oncology and non-oncology disease Extensive and compelling pre-clinical in vivo data for GSPT1 program, demonstrating potent anti-tumor activity in Myc-driven tumor models Molecular glue-based targeted protein degradation platform developing breakthrough small molecule therapeutics that selectively degrade disease-causing proteins IND filing for GSPT1 program expected in mid-2022; additional programs at various stages of discovery Initial platform focus on cereblon-mediated protein degradation with hundreds of potential targets to address Potential to reprogram other E3 ligases to access more of the undruggable proteome through other degrons
Thank You