Agios receives two grants under QTDP program to develop novel cancer metabolism therapies

Agios Pharmaceuticals, the leading biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel drugs in the rapidly emerging field of cancer metabolism, today announced it has received two grants totaling more than $488,000 from the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project (QTDP) Program. The grants will support Agios' efforts to develop novel cancer metabolism therapies including lead programs targeting the key metabolic enzymes PKM2 and IDH.

“We are pleased to be the recipient of these awards, which recognize Agios' cutting-edge drug discovery research in cancer”

"We are pleased to be the recipient of these awards, which recognize Agios' cutting-edge drug discovery research in cancer," said David Schenkein, M.D., chief executive officer of Agios. "These awards highlight the value of our unique biological insights into the metabolic pathways of cancer cells and will help us advance our portfolio of first-in-class cancer metabolism drug candidates and expand our great team."

These grants are being distributed as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 to U.S. companies with fewer than 250 employees whose research shows the greatest potential to, among other things, significantly advance the goal of curing cancer within 30 years, address areas of unmet medical need, and demonstrate the greatest potential to create and sustain high-quality, high-paying U.S. jobs and to advance U.S. competitiveness in life, biological and medical sciences.

Source: Agios Pharmaceuticals