Chemify and Sanacor Collaborate to Discover and Develop Small Molecule Therapies for Cardiometabolic Diseases

Partnership to use Chemify’s programmable chemistry technology and Sanacor’s translational biology expertise to accelerate small-molecule discovery addressing mitochondrial dysfunction

GLASGOW, Scotland & MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chemify, the deep-tech pioneer of Chemputation – a technological breakthrough that combines ML-based molecular discovery and automated, robotic synthesis – today announced a collaboration with Sanacor Inc. – a biotechnology company developing therapies that target mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiometabolic diseases – to discover and develop orally available small-molecule inhibitors for the treatment of cardiometabolic diseases with a first focus on diabetic cardiovascular disease.

The collaboration brings together Chemify’s Chemputation technology for novel, small-molecule design and synthesis with Sanacor’s deep biological expertise in cardiometabolic disease, pioneered by Michael Widlansky, MD, MPH, FACC, FAHA, CEO and Co-founder of Sanacor. Combining these complementary capabilities will enable accelerated discovery of first-in-class therapeutic candidates addressing major unmet medical needs.

“We are excited to work with Dr. Widlansky and Sanacor on a program backed by a rigorous scientific foundation. Our platform allows us to rapidly design, make and refine novel, highly efficacious small molecules in a tightly integrated workflow, giving teams the ability to move from biological insight to optimized compounds with speed and confidence,” said Lee Cronin, CEO and Founder, Chemify.

Diabetic cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of diabetic morbidity and mortality worldwide, with prevalence expected to rise substantially over the coming decades. Despite this impact, there are currently no therapies that directly target the underlying vascular dysfunction that drives disease progression in patients with diabetes.

Research led by Dr. Widlansky has demonstrated that dysregulated mitochondrial dynamics play a central role in diabetic cardiovascular disease and are closely linked to endothelial dysfunction. Preclinical studies conducted by the Sanacor team indicate that pharmacologic modulation of this pathway can restore vascular function in models of type 2 diabetes, supporting its therapeutic potential. Beyond cardiovascular disease, perturbations in mitochondrial dynamics have been implicated in a broad range of conditions, including diabetic kidney and retinal disease, neurodegeneration, oncology, and rare mitochondrial disorders.

“Our research has consistently shown that mitochondrial dysfunction is a root cause of vascular disease in diabetes. Targeting the dysregulation represents a fundamentally different approach where we can address disease biology,” said Dr. Widlansky. “Chemify’s Chemputation technology provides an opportunity to translate that science into drug candidates with real clinical potential, allowing us to make an impact on the millions of patients suffering from cardiometabolic diseases.”

Chemify’s Chemputation technology merges ML-based design, a universal programming language for chemistry, advanced software, and robotics, empowering partners to move seamlessly from novel concept to makeable compound. Chemify’s ML-based design integrates best-in-class structure-based and ligand-based modelling with physical chemical property and ADMET property optimization, allowing collaborators to rapidly generate optimized compounds with strong potency and drug-like properties. The closed-loop workflow accelerates iteration and enhances design confidence to achieve high-quality hits and leads with exceptional speed and precision.

About Chemify

Chemify is reimagining the discovery and synthesis of novel molecules for medicines and advanced materials by turning digital code into physical compounds through Chemputation—its fusion of robotics and AI. Headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, the company was founded by Lee Cronin to digitalize chemistry at global scale for the benefit of humanity. Learn more at Chemify.io and follow @ChemifyX on X/Twitter.

About Sanacor

Sanacor is a biotechnology company developing therapies that target mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiometabolic diseases, with an initial focus on reversing diabetic cardiovascular disease. The company’s scientific foundation is supported by nearly two decades of research and has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the American Heart Association (AHA), and the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality among individuals with diabetes, and there are currently no approved disease-modifying therapies that address its underlying pathophysiology. Leveraging its mitochondrial biology platform, Sanacor is also investigating applications across additional diabetic complications (including kidney and retinal disease) as well as neurodegeneration, oncology, and rare mitochondrial disorders.