BioCentury
ARTICLE | Product Development

Neomics' new tricks

Neomics targets new functions of aminoacyl tRNA synthetases for cancer

March 11, 2013 7:00 AM UTC

Neomics Co. Ltd. is leveraging previously unknown functions of aminoacyl tRNA synthetases and their interacting proteins to build a pipeline of therapeutics and diagnostics for cancer. The most advanced program focuses on detecting and targeting an oncogenic splice variant of AIMP2 that may be overexpressed in lung, colon and ovarian cancers.

Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (ARSs) have been known for almost four decades as essential housekeeping enzymes that attach the correct amino acid to tRNA during protein synthesis. Since all cells require this process, human ARSs were generally not considered useful therapeutic targets...