Company: ARVN
Filing Date: 2025-02-11
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001655759-25-000016
Chunk: 85

Company: ARVINAS, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-02-11
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 85
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. We are investing in our research and development activities to expand the capabilities of our PROTAC Discovery Engine and the breadth of our intellectual property portfolio. This includes: research into ligands for novel E3 ligases, key proteins in the ubiquitin proteasome system, that may have tissue-specific, differentiating pharmacokinetic opportunities or disease-specific features; the discovery of novel binding ligands for targets; the discovery of orally bioavailable and blood brain barrier penetrant PROTAC protein degraders; and improvement of our PROTAC targeted protein degrader design and optimization processes. We have exclusive worldwide rights to our platform technology. Detailed information regarding our intellectual property portfolio is described below in "Item 1. Business—Intellectual Property". 

Our Focus

The Role of Proteins in Disease 

Human cells produce tens of thousands of different proteins, the entirety of which is referred to as the proteome. Proteins are responsible for many structural, functional and regulatory processes in cells. 

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Proteins are large, complex biomolecules made through a series of steps based on instructions carried from DNA, the genetic “blueprint” within the cell. Generally, sequences of DNA are converted into messenger ribonucleic acid, or mRNA, during a process called transcription. mRNA provides the template that specifies the assembly of a particular sequence of amino acids into proteins during a process known as translation. The amino acid sequence dictates, among other things, the conformation, or 3-D shape, of the resulting protein. Proteins can have complex shapes, with multiple chains of amino acids folding together in some cases to reach a final form. The final form of the protein, as well as the timing, location and concentration of its expression within the cell, is essential to the protein’s intended function. 

In healthy cells, the transcription and translation processes contribute to producing properly folded proteins in the right amounts and at the correct times to ensure normal cell health and function. This balance can be disrupted by a variety of events and factors, such as cellular stress, genetic mutations and transcriptional or translational errors, which can then lead to cellular overexpression, abnormal production rates, misfolding or mutations of proteins. When proteins are overexpressed or mutated, homeostatic pathway biology can be disrupted and a wide variety of diseases can result. For example, overexpression of estrogen receptor is known to be associated with breast cancer. In neurodegenerative diseases, abnormal deposition of misfolded or aggregated proteins in the brain, including the intraneuronal