AsiaNet 88409

JERUSALEM, March 10, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

     Pepticom, a leader in artificial intelligence peptide drug design and

discovery, announced today that it has raised $2.6 million to establish a

company to focus on treatments for the SARS-Cov-2 virus, responsible for the

COVID-19 outbreak. The company, PeptiCov, will implement Pepticom's AI

technology to design, discover and develop novel peptide molecules for

effective treatment of the SARS-Cov-2 virus. The funding round was led by the

Chartered Group.

    "Unfortunately, COVID-19 and the various viral mutations will likely be

with us for a long time and thus effective treatment is key," said Immanuel

Lerner, Founder and CEO of Pepticom. "PeptiCov is focused on discovering and

developing an effective treatment for SARS-Cov-2, which would allow the world

to live alongside the virus rather than remain in lockdowns and other drastic

measures."

    Pepticom's unique artificial intelligence (AI) technology streamlines and

significantly accelerates the ability to discover advanced peptide-based drug

candidates. Pepticom's AI technology enables the discovery of the most advanced

peptide-based drug candidates by searching an enormous set of possible

solutions, vastly reducing the risk of failure during development. It covers a

chemical-space of 1030 possible molecular options - which is much larger than

current screening techniques - while simultaneously filtering out the most

suitable candidates with properties such as solubility and permeability amongst

others. This software analyzed several protein targets related to the

SARS-Cov-2 virus and designed a number of potential peptide drug candidates

that were lab validated. PeptiCov will be responsible for further development

of these peptides. PeptiCov will also actively be seeking partnerships with

pharma companies.

    The Chartered Group has previously invested in Pepticom and other Israeli

deep tech companies and has broad networks in Europe, East Asia and Japan. "We

made this investment out of our belief in Pepticom's application of AI via

PeptiCov for SARS-Cov-2 drug discovery and early development," said Eyal

Agmoni, Chairman of Chartered Group and Technology division. "Pepticom's unique

AI platform allows for various drug discovery efforts, and we are excited to

join this spinoff company."

    About Pepticom

    Pepticom is a privately held AI company with headquarters in Israel

committed to offering AI peptide drug discovery solutions for a better and

healthier world. It is the leader in the emerging peptide drugs software

solutions, AI and prediction tools that allow research centers, pharma and

agriculture companies to accelerate innovative molecules discovery while

reducing time, costs and risks. Pepticom operates in various markets; past

successful discoveries include peptide molecules related to metabolic diseases

and Immuno-modulators. Pepticom was founded in 2011 by a select team of

multidisciplinary PhD graduates from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

    http://www.pepticom.com

    For logos and images click here

[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eAKrpjuhpfQVvZAcOlP2t7RK2EzuoUKH].

    Pepticom recently hosted a webinar with researchers, doctors and policy

makers from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Shaarei Zedek Medical Center

on "Beyond Vaccines - Harnessing AI to Accelerate Undiscovered Treatment for

COVID-19." To view the webinar, click here [http://www.pepticom.com/].

   About Chartered Group

The Chartered Group's investments consist of five major business interests:

Investment Banking, Private Credit, Real Estate, Hospitality and Technology.

The Chartered Group's Technology division invests in companies that develop

disruptive technologies in wide areas including biomedical, artificial

intelligence and IoT, to mention a few. Chartered Group also focuses on

investments in Israeli early-stage start-ups as the anchor investor in TAU

Ventures, the venture capital fund of Tel Aviv University. For more

information, visit http://www.charteredgroup.com.

    Company Contact:

    Dr. Maayan Elias, Ph.D., MBA, BSc. Pharm

    SVP BD and Marketing

    maayan.elias@pepticom.com

   Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1451795/Pepticom.jpg

   Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1451793/PeptiCov.jpg

   Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1451794/Chartered_Group.jpg

Source: Pepticom