HitGen Inc. announced that it has entered into a research agreement with Nitrase Therapeutics, Inc., which is a new class of enzymes discovered by Nitrase that are involved in a broad variety of diseases. Nitrases have been implicated in numerous devastating diseases, including Parkinson's, cancer, respiratory diseases, fibrosis and other neurodegenerative diseases. Nitrase's NITROME platform has generated leads for the inhibition of nitrase enzymatic reactions that can cause disease, and is developing drugs based on the newly discovered role that protein nitration plays in disease.

HitGen will apply its DNA-encoded library (DEL) technology platform centered around the design, synthesis and screening of DELs to discover compounds that bind to certain targets that are of interest to Nitrase. Under the terms of the agreement, HitGen will receive an undisclosed upfront payment and will be eligible for milestone payments from Nitrase.