• BGE-102, an orally available, brain-penetrant NLRP3 inhibitor, was developed from a hit compound identified using HitGen's industry-leading DEL technology platform, highlighting the value of DEL to accelerate innovative drug development.
• The initiation of the BGE-102 Phase 1 clinical study triggers a milestone payment to HitGen.

Shanghai Stock Exchange listed company HitGen Inc. ("HitGen", SSE: 688222.SH), congratulates its partner BioAge Labs, Inc. ("BioAge", NASDAQ: BIOA), a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Emeryville, CA, USA, on the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical study of BGE-102, a novel, potent NLRP3 inhibitor developed from a hit compound identified using HitGen's industry-leading DEL technology platform. The event triggers an undisclosed milestone payment to HitGen under the collaboration agreement between the two companies.

BGE-102 is a structurally novel, orally available small molecule NLRP3 inhibitor with high potency and brain penetration being developed initially for the treatment of obesity. NLRP3 is a key driver of age-related inflammation that has been implicated in a broad range of diseases, including neurodegenerative conditions and cardiovascular disease as well as metabolic disorders such as obesity. BioAge identified NLRP3 as a therapeutic target for metabolic and age-related diseases and sought to develop novel inhibitors, leading to the successful collaboration with HitGen.

BGE-102 was developed by BioAge from hit compounds identified in a screen using HitGen's DEL libraries under a collaboration agreement between the parties. In April 2021, the companies announced the successful identification of promising hit molecules. In February 2024, the companies further detailed their research collaboration outcome in a joint publication in Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, entitled "The discovery of novel and potent indazole NLRP3 inhibitors enabled by DNA-encoded library screening". The collaboration has also resulted in joint patent filings covering the structurally novel compounds discovered through the DEL screening process. BioAge and HitGen continue to collaborate on additional drug lead discovery programs for other novel targets using HitGen's DEL platform.

Dr. Jin Li, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of HitGen Inc., stated: "We extend our congratulations to the BioAge team on this exciting progress. The advancement of BGE-102 into clinical studies not only validates the power of HitGen's DEL platform to discover novel small molecules against challenging targets, but also reinforces the value of our partnership model. We look forward to continuing our collaboration and following the development of this promising candidate."

"We're excited to reach this important clinical milestone with BGE-102," said Kristen Fortney, PhD, CEO and co-founder of BioAge. "HitGen's DEL platform helped us identify structurally distinct NLRP3 inhibitors with a novel binding site and strong potency and brain penetration. Our collaboration demonstrates the value of combining HitGen's cutting-edge screening technology with insights from human aging biology to advance potentially transformative treatments for metabolic diseases."

HitGen is a world leader in the development of DEL technology and applications to early-stage small molecule drug discovery. Its platform includes over 1.2 trillion small molecules generated by the DEL technology, and the efficiency of the screening process has made it possible for HitGen to enable drug discovery projects for many organizations around the world.