Sosei Group Corp. and Kallyope Inc. have announced the successful identification, validation and nomination of a first G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) target to enter a therapeutic discovery program for gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. The nominated target will advance into a structure-based drug discovery program.
As its name suggests, Superluminal Medicines Inc. is aiming for speed. The startup, which closed a $33 million seed round led by RA Capital Management, is combining a biology-focused approach with a generative AI platform it says has the potential to create candidate-ready compounds in a matter of months, with its initial sights set on G protein-coupled receptor targets.
As its name suggests, Superluminal Medicines Inc. is aiming for speed. The startup, which closed a $33 million seed round led by RA Capital Management, is combining a biology-focused approach with a generative AI platform it says has the potential to create candidate-ready compounds in a matter of months, with its initial sights set on G protein-coupled receptor targets.
Sosei Heptares is fulfilling its ambition for growth in the Asia-Pacific region by buying the Japanese and South Korea businesses of Swiss biotech Idorsia Ltd. for ¥65 billion (US$463 million), potentially freeing Idorsia from its struggle to prove its stroke drug, Pivlaz (clazosentan), is effective enough to warrant approval in key Western markets.
Sosei Heptares is fulfilling its ambition for growth in the Asia-Pacific region by buying the Japanese and South Korea businesses of Swiss biotech Idorsia Ltd. for ¥65 billion (US$463 million), potentially freeing Idorsia from its struggle to prove its stroke drug, Pivlaz (clazosentan), is effective enough to warrant approval in key Western markets.
Confo Therapeutics NV has entered into a research collaboration with Abcellera Biologics Inc. for the discovery of therapeutic antibody candidates targeting two undisclosed GPCR targets.
Researchers have developed a new highly effective therapeutic for pain relief by altering the chemical properties of an antinausea drug, netupitant. The modified drug is able to enter the intracellular membrane-bound endosome and target the GPCRs therein, rather than at the cell surface, that leads to optimal pain relief. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on May 22,2023, was led by Nigel Bunnett, Professor and Chair of Molecular Pathobiology at NYU College of Dentistry, and illustrates how GPCR-mediated pain signaling occurs inside the endosomes rather than at the surface, highlighting the need for drugs that can reach receptors within the cells itself.
Psychedelic drugs may exert their effects at intracellular serotonin receptors that serotonin itself, which does not cross cell membranes, cannot reach. The findings were published in the Feb. 17, 2023, issue of Science by researchers from the University of California at Davis.
Psychedelic drugs may exert their effects at intracellular serotonin receptors that serotonin itself, which does not cross cell membranes, cannot reach. The findings were published in the Feb. 17, 2023, issue of Science by researchers from the University of California at Davis. An accompanying editorial by Evan Hess and Todd Gould at the University of Maryland School of Medicine called them “a key achievement in the understanding of the mechanism of action of psychedelics” and “an important step forward for a rapidly expanding and much-needed field of study.”
Certa Therapeutics Pty Ltd. is progressing antifibrotic agent FT-011 to phase III trials following positive results in a phase II trial that showed clinically meaningful improvements for more than 60% of patients with scleroderma in 12 weeks. FT-011 targets a previously undrugged G protein-coupled receptor, and these early efficacy outcomes in scleroderma suggest potential for FT-011 to treat other indications in Certa’s pipeline, including diabetic retinopathy and other forms of chronic kidney disease.