China-based biotech startup Attec has completed a pre-Series A financing round, with its protein degradation capabilities drawing investment from Sequoia China. The deal size was not disclosed.
Company Background
Founded by Shanghai Fudan University professor Dr. Yu Ding, Attec specializes in drug discovery using protein degradation technology. The firm’s small-molecule glue screening platform enables high-throughput target identification at low cost and high efficiency. Attec currently has four pipeline drugs targeting challenging, clinically validated targets.
Technology Innovation
Attec’s approach is based on the autophagosome-tethering compound (ATTEC) concept, which leverages the autophagy pathway for protein degradation. This differs from PROTACs (PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras), which rely on the ubiquitin proteasome system. The foundational study, “ATTEC: a potential new approach to target proteinopathies,” was published in Autophagy in January 2020.-Fineline Info & Tech
