Date: 2013-12-18
Type of information: Licensing agreement
Compound: G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) biosensor technology
Company: Domain Therapeutics (France) Universite de Montreal (Canada) IRICoR (Canada) McGill University (Canada)
Therapeutic area: Technology - Services
Type agreement: R&D
licensing
Action mechanism:
Disease:
Details: * On December 18, 2013, Domain Therapeutics, a France-based biopharmaceutical company that specializes in the research and development of new drug candidates that target G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), has announced the signing of a licensing and partnership agreement on GPCR biosensor technology with the Universite de Montreal and its commercialization unit, the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer – Commercialization of Research (IRICoR), and McGill University. Biosensor technology helps to understand the signalling pathways that are activated by each candidate molecule and thus predict its pharmacological profile. This approach makes it possible to choose at a very early development stage the molecule(s) that have the best chance of being active without presenting side effects or inducing tolerance to treatment. The biosensor technology already covers more than twenty signaling pathways and, under the terms of the agreement, a partnership will also be set up for the joint development of additional biosensors. IRIC researchers and their colleagues from UdeM, McGill University and Universite de Sherbrooke will contribute their research expertise in molecular pharmacology
The agreement gives Domain Therapeutics co-exclusive access, with AstraZeneca, Merck and Pfizer participating via the CQDM, to biosensor technology developed by Dr. Bouvier’s team. This new approach, which makes it possible to discriminate the functional activation of intracellular signalling pathways associated with GPCRs, is considered a prime technology for accelerating the discovery and development of biased ligands for this class of receptors. In addition, Domain Therapeutics will offer a unique service in profiling drug candidates for the pharma and biotech industries. Domain Therapeutics also leverages a screening platform called DTect-All™, designed to discover innovative drugs that target GPCRs. By combining the two technologies, Domain Therapeutics can discover and optimize more effective non-toxic therapeutic candidates for its internal programs and for collaborative programs with industry partners.
The GPCR biosensor technology was developed with the support of a grant from the Quebec Consortium for Drug Discovery (CQDM), whose mission is to fund breakthrough technologies with the financial support of major pharma companies. This project was overseen by a team of researchers from UdeM’s Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) led by Dr. Michel Bouvier.
Financial terms: Under the terms of the agreement with the UdeM, Domain Therapeutics will make an upfront payment on signing. The company will also pay an annual access fee for the technology, as well as royalties on income earned from sales of screening services and sales of drugs resulting from its own research and partnership activities. Domain Therapeutics will also provide financial support for the discovery of new biosensors.
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