Home Innovation Innovative Small Molecule(s) Research Institute

Small molecule drugs are biologically active compounds synthesized with organic chemistry approaches, with molecular weight below 1000 Da. They have excellent pharmacological functions and tissue distribution properties, allowing for broad therapeutic indications. They also have good pharmacokinetic profiles and chemical stability, with the advantages of convenient storage and transportation. They are orally administered; hence it is easier to get patients to comply with treatments. Furthermore, they can be designed in novel and creative ways for differentiation and unmet medical needs. For these reasons, small molecules exert huge therapeutic potential in various disease areas and continue to be the mainstay of the pharmaceutical industry.


R & D Overview

Focusing on current urgent and unmet medical needs, the Innovative Small Molecules Research Institute are committed to developing new small molecule therapeutics. We aim for comprehensive understandings of the disease biology and establishment of innovative, high-value portfolio. 

Our pipeline covers 5 major disease areas, including kidney diseases, oncology, respiratory and infectious diseases, and neurological disorders. Our team of scientists bring together deep expertise in discovery biology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, ADME, toxicology, formulation and process development, regulatory affairs and clinical development. We combine our unique knowledge and experiences with cutting-edge technologies including chemo-informatics, molecular biology, computer-assisted drug design, artificial intelligence and machine learning, to gain speed and improve success rates of small molecule screening and optimization.

Mechanism of Drug Action

Ongoing Projects

Pipeline S/N Product number Product introduction
Kidney
Diseases
1 JMKX000189 Multiple organ autoimmune diseases have significant advantages in efficacy and safety
2 JMKX003142 Significant advantages in efficacy and safety for hereditary chronic kidney disease
3 JMKX003002 Chronic kidney disease complicated with metabolic diseases, with significant advantages in preclinical data
4 JMKX004649 Common immune nephropathy with significant unmet needs
Oncology 5 JMKX001899 Non small cell lung cancer, good brain penetration, high safety, and potential for breakthrough therapy
6 JMKX000197 Targeting FIC and First Indication, local manifestations have therapeutic advantages
7 JMKX003948 Simultaneously inhibiting multiple tumor specific growth factors, effective against multiple tumor species
8 JMKX003561 Innovative targets, preclinical data shows significant inhibition of specific cancer species growth
Cardiovascular Diseases 9 JMKX001149 Treat and prevent thrombotic diseases while reducing potential bleeding risks
10 JMKX003142 Through intravenous administration, suitable for the treatment scenario of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases
Respiratory Diseases 11 JMKX003801 Targeting drug-resistant bacterial infections, a novel broad-spectrum approach β- lactamase inhibitor
12 JMKX003676 The target is fungal infection, with low liver toxicity and better safety than existing drugs
Pain 13 JMKX000623 It has a significant inhibitory effect on various pain models and has entered the clinical stage

R & D Team

51% scientists with MS degrees
23% scientists with PhD degrees

The Innovative Small Molecules Research Institute has a team of 150 scientists, of whom 23% hold PhD degree and 51% hold MS degrees. The management team are seasoned scientists trained overseas with rich experience from leading pharmaceutical companies worldwide. They have accumulated broad and deep knowledge via leading multiple high-profile programs in the past.

Featured Therapeutic Areas

Cardiovascular Diseases

  • 290 million

    patients with CVD in China

  • over 40% deaths
    of diseased population
  • 1st

    mortality rate

The prevalence and mortality rate of cardiovascular diseases continue to increase in China. It is now the leading cause of deaths, with over 40% deaths of diseased population. The orally delivered small molecule anti-coagulants are widely used in cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, transient ischemic attack, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and myocardial infarction. These drugs significantly inhibit the progression of arterial or venous thrombosis, thereby preventing venous thrombosis. They also prevent stroke and systemic embolism caused by nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, avoiding adverse consequences of acute myocardial infarction.
  • Oncology

    4 million

    new cancer cases very year in China

    Malignant tumor has been a major threat. Currently around 4 million new cases are reported every year in China.
    The small molecule anti-tumor drugs are developed against oncogenes. Once absorbed, these drugs specifically bind to their targets, leading to the apoptosis induction and proliferation inhibition of tumor cells. Targeted drugs show much higher specificity, better efficacy, and less toxicity, as compared to conventional chemotherapeutic agents.

  • Kidney Diseases

    119.5 million

    CKD patients in China

    The chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common chronic disease in China, and current patient population is about 119.5 million. The progression of CKD is affected by multiple factors, including hemodynamic changes, metabolic disorders, inflammation, and fibrosis. In addition to existing prophylactic approaches of lowering blood pressure (controlling hemodynamics) and blood sugar (improving metabolism), further novel effective therapeutics are needed to slow down CKD progression. We are working towards this goal by developing small molecule drugs to inhibit hyperactivation of mineralocorticoid receptors and overexpression of inflammatory factors and cytokines, to ultimately reduce inflammation and fibrosis

  • Respiratory and Infectious Diseases

    0.7 million

    deaths due to antibiotic resistance every year worldwide

    The small molecule anti-bacterial drugs interfere with the metabolism of pathogenic microorganisms, inhibiting critical synthetic pathways for nucleic acids, proteins, cell membranes and cell wall. As compared to conventional anti-bacterial agents, the novel molecules we’ve developed are specifically designed to tackle multidrug resistance. They showed broader spectrum, higher bactericidal activity, and better safety profile in human. These molecules are effective against several multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria, providing a potentially better option for treating MDR bacterial infections and severe systemic infections.