Potentially creating a new class of antibiotics, Forge Therapeutics finctioned as a biotechnology company developing novel medicines by combining bioinorganic with medicinal chemistry to target metalloenzymes. Metalloenzymes make up over 30% of all known enzymes in nature and are critically important for a wide range of biochemical processes and biological catalysis. Anchored in 15 years of work University of California San Diego (licensed by Forge) the firm has developed a fundamentally new approach for the discovery of metalloenzyme inhibitors by focusing first on the metal in the enzyme active site. The Cohen lab has pioneered the use of fragment based drug discovery (FBDD) to identify metalloenzyme inhibitors as well as forming significant insights into the understanding of bioinorganic chemistry for the benefit of human health. Forgeâs lead program - LpxC, a zinc metalloenzyme - has been recognized as an attractive antibacterial target for more than 15 years as it is conserved across Gram-negative bacteria and not found in Gram-positive or human cells. However, lack of suitable chemical starting points has hampered development progress. In January 2023 it was announced that Blacksmith Medicines had acquired Forge Therapeutics:
