Ottawa, Canada, [April 15, 2026] – NuvoBio Corporation (NuvoBio), a developer of sequence-based generative AI for drug discovery, today announced a strategic research collaboration with Protagonist Therapeutics for up to three undisclosed targets.

Under the agreement, NuvoBio will use its platform to generate peptide candidates against therapeutic targets designated by Protagonist. Protagonist will have the exclusive right to develop and commercialize compounds arising from the collaboration. NuvoBio is eligible to receive preclinical, clinical, and regulatory milestone payments.

“We are excited to be working with global peptide drug leader, Protagonist Therapeutics. In this collaboration, we will apply our machine learning algorithms to rapidly design unique peptides with high target selectivity,” said Dr. Kyle Biggar, scientific co-founder of NuvoBio.

About NuvoBio

NuvoBio is an AI-based peptide discovery company based in Ottawa, Canada. Founded by Carleton University scientists Dr. Kyle Biggar, Dr. Valentina Lukinovic, Dr. James Green, Dr. Francois Charih, and Canadian tech entrepreneurs, Dr. Michael Cowpland and Jim Stetchyson. NuvoBio uses sequence-based generative AI to design novel target-specific peptides with insight into off-target interactions. This optimizes for selectivity at the earliest stage of discovery and accelerates the path to the clinic. NuvoBio is supported by Capital BioVentures, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev), NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program and Merck Digital Sciences Studio. For more information, please visit www.nuvobio.com.

Contacts:
Kyle Biggar, CSO
kbiggar@nuvobio.com

About Protagonist
Protagonist Therapeutics is a discovery through late-stage development biopharmaceutical company. The Company’s proprietary peptide technology platform enables de novo discovery of peptide therapeutics. Two novel peptides derived from Protagonist’s proprietary discovery platform are at or near commercialization. 

ICOTYDE™ (icotrokinra) is approved in the U.S. for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 40 kg who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. ICOTYDE is the first and only targeted oral peptide that precisely blocks the Interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R) licensed to Janssen Biotech, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company. ICOTYDE was jointly discovered by Protagonist and Johnson & Johnson scientists, with Protagonist having primary responsibility for the development of ICOTYDE through Phase 1, and Johnson & Johnson assuming responsibility for further development and commercialization. An NDA for rusfertide, a first-in-class hepcidin mimetic peptide that is being co-developed with Takeda Pharmaceuticals pursuant to a worldwide license and collaboration agreement entered in 2024, is under priority review with the FDA. 

Protagonist holds an option to co-commercialize rusfertide in the U.S. through a 50/50 profit and loss share structure or can opt-out of this structure. The Company also has a number of preclinical stage drug discovery programs addressing clinically and commercially validated targets, including an oral IL-17 peptide antagonist, obesity dual and triple agonists, an oral hepcidin functional mimetic, and the recently announced IL-4 and amylin programs.

More information on Protagonist, its pipeline drug candidates, and clinical studies can be found on the Company’s website at https://www.protagonist-inc.com.