Enodia Therapeutics has entered a research collaboration and license agreement with Pfizer to discover and develop small molecules targeting Sec61, with a total potential value exceeding $500 million through upfront and contingent payments and royalties.
The Paris-based biotechnology company will receive an upfront payment and is eligible for research, development and sales milestones, along with tiered royalties on net sales. The release did not disclose the upfront amount or individual milestone terms.
Enodia will conduct discovery activities to screen, optimize and develop Sec61 inhibitor candidates against multiple collaboration targets. After the collaboration term, Pfizer will assume responsibility for clinical development, manufacturing, regulatory activities and commercialization.
The research centers on selective modulation of the Sec61 translocon. Enodia’s approach is designed to inhibit disease-driving proteins at the point of synthesis, before they cause pathological effects, while preserving essential physiological functions.
The company’s platform includes multiple families of Sec61 inhibitors and biological datasets intended to guide small molecule design. Those resources include proteomics, cryo-electron microscopy and specialized cell-line libraries, supported by machine learning.
Chief Executive Yves Ribeill said the collaboration combines Enodia’s protein-targeting approach with Pfizer’s development expertise and clinical resources.
Enodia’s work stems from research at the Institut Pasteur, and the company was built by Argobio Studio. Its pipeline initially focuses on inflammation, immunology and oncology, with additional potential applications in virology.
The agreement establishes a discovery partnership spanning multiple targets rather than a license for a single named clinical candidate. Enodia’s role covers early candidate development before Pfizer takes over subsequent activities.
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