Protagonist Therapeutics is focused on developing innovative peptide drug therapies to address unmet medical needs in various diseases. Their proprietary technology platform enables the discovery and engineering of peptides with specific characteristics such as potency, selectivity, and metabolic stability. This platform has led to the creation of unique peptide-based drug candidates, including rusfertide (PTG-300), a hepcidin mimetic, and JNJ-2113 (formerly PN-235), an oral IL-23 receptor antagonist. These candidates are currently in advanced clinical development, showcasing Protagonist's commitment to breaking barriers in peptide therapeutics, particularly with the challenge of oral peptide administration.

The company's approach incorporates a range of advanced tools and methodologies, including molecular design tools, phage display techniques, and oral stability assays. These methods facilitate the optimization of peptide candidates for various therapeutic targets, including cytokines and GPCRs. Protagonist's focus on formulation strategies aims to enhance the delivery of their peptides through different routes, ensuring stability and bioactivity. By simulating biological conditions and utilizing computational chemistry, Protagonist is positioned to refine their drug candidates for effective treatment options, ultimately striving to improve patient outcomes in hematology, inflammatory, and immunomodulatory diseases.

United States

Protagonist Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a proprietary technology platform focused on discovering and developing peptide-based new chemical entities (NCEs) that can potentially transform existing treatment paradigms in disease areas with significant unmet medical needs. Our platform enables us to discover peptides in a de novo fashion with the desired degree of potency, specificity and selectivity, and also engineer oral stability with specific peptidomimetic and chemical modifications. We have successfully utilized this platform to discover PN-943 and PTG-200 which are oral, GI-restricted peptides for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), as well as PTG-300, an injectable peptide for rare blood disorders. 

Digestive System Diseases

Hematologic Diseases

Immune System Diseases

Inflammatory disorders

Metabolic Diseases

Skin Diseases

Protagonist Therapeutics 

Psoriasis

Oral Interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R) antagonist peptide

Icotrokinra (JNJ-2113) (PN-235)

Blood cancer

Cancer

Polycythemia vera

PTG-300 is an injectable hepcidin mimetic in development for the treatment of polycythemia vera and hereditary hemochromatosis.

Rusfertide (PTG-300) 

Ulcerative colitis

Icotrokinra (JNJ-2113, formerly PN-235)

Inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory disease

PN-943 is an oral, gut-restricted alpha-4-beta-7 integrin specific antagonist peptide in clinical development for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. PN-943 is designed to offer the convenience of oral administration and the potential for improved safety and tolerability compared to antibody therapeutics administered by injection that target the alpha-4-beta-7 integrin pathway. PTG-100, a PN-943 analog, showed evidence of clinical and histological remission in patients with ulcerative colitis. PN-943 has completed Phase 1 development, demonstrating sustained target engagement with two weeks of daily administration.

PN-943 (α4β7-Integrin Antagonist)

Crohns disease

PTG-200 is an oral peptide interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R) antagonist being co-developed with Janssen, for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and is initially in development for the treatment of patients with Crohn's disease. PTG-200 is designed to offer&nbsp;choices to patients in addition to&nbsp;injectable antibody therapeutics that target the IL-23 pathway, including the potential for improved safety and tolerability and better compliance compared to therapeutics administered by injection.

PTG-200 (IL-23R Antagonist) 

Genetic disorder

Rare genetic disease

PTG-300 is an injectable hepcidin mimetic in clinical development for the potential treatment of beta-thalassemia, polycythemia vera (PV) and hereditary hemochromatosis (HH). Hepcidin is a natural peptide hormone that regulates iron absorption and utilization in the body through sequestration and release from tissue macrophages and intestinal enterocytes. Iron plays an essential role in various body functions, especially blood formation. Excess iron in the body is toxic, resulting in bone marrow, tissue and organ damage over time. In settings of tissue iron overload and dysregulated erythropoiesis, treatment with PTG-300 can potentially reduce the need for phlebotomies, such as in the treatment of PV and HH, and the need for transfusions and chelation therapies in thalassemia and myelodysplastic syndrome.&nbsp;PTG-300 has been granted Orphan Drug designation in the U.S. and EU and has received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for development in the potential treatment of beta-thalassemia.

Protagonist Therapeutics

Company Details