• 19 Dec 2025
• Admin
• News Article

PRISM BioLab and Talus Bioscience Join Forces to Tackle ‘Undruggable’ Targets

Japan-based PRISM BioLab and U.S. startup Talus Bioscience have entered a research collaboration to discover novel inhibitors targeting transcription factors (TFs) and protein–protein interactions (PPIs).
These targets have long been considered among the most difficult in drug discovery.

The partnership combines two complementary strengths:

• Talus Bio’s AI-guided regulome profiling screens in live human cells
• PRISM’s chemistry platforms designed specifically for protein–protein interactions

Together, they aim to unlock new therapeutic possibilities where traditional approaches have failed.

How the Collaboration Will Work?

Under the agreement, PRISM’s proprietary small-molecule libraries will be screened using Talus Bio’s native cellular assays.
The goal is to identify and optimise compounds with direct functional effects on TF and PPI activity.

Key elements of the collaboration include:

• AI-guided screening in native cellular environments
• Discovery of first-in-class chemical matter
• Focus on high-value, disease-relevant TF and PPI targets

Both companies will share discovery costs and future profits from out-licensing or commercialisation.

Why TF and PPI Targets Matter?

Transcription factors and protein–protein interactions regulate core biological processes.
Yet, they have remained largely undruggable due to structural complexity and lack of binding pockets.

By combining PRISM’s PepMetics® technology with Talus Bio’s regulome profiling, the collaboration offers a scalable way to modulate these regulatory mechanisms.
This could enable therapies for diseases driven by targets previously out of reach.

A Step Toward First-in-Class Therapies

This partnership represents a pivotal moment for systematic TF and PPI drug discovery.
Rather than isolated experiments, the companies are building an integrated discovery engine.

If successful, the collaboration could reshape how the industry approaches some of biology’s most challenging drug targets—and open new frontiers in precision therapeutics.