Date: 2014-11-20
Type of information: Grant
Company: Heptares (UK)
Investors: Biomedical Catalyst Fund (UK)
Amount: £1.5 million (€1.8 million)
Funding type: grant
Planned used: The grant, with additional funding from Heptares, will support a three-year research project aimed at developing first-in-class, selective and orally available small molecule GLP-1 receptor antagonists for the treatment of severe hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose) in rare diseases including congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI). The support of the MRC and Innovate UK through this grant will enable Heptares to optimise a series of novel small molecule GLP-1 receptor antagonist compounds identified and developed using its GPCR structure-based development platform. Heptares, in collaboration with the University of Manchester and Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, will then carry out the preclinical development of candidates with the goal of providing novel safe, effective and orally available molecules for clinical studies for CHI with anticipated additional potential in other areas associated with intractable hypoglycaemia; including neonatal hypoglycaemia, hypoglycaemia occurring as a consequence of gastric bypass surgery and insulinoma-associated hypoglycaemia.
Others: * On November 20, 2014, Heptares Therapeutics, a UK-based GPCR structure-guided drug discovery and development company, announced that it has been awarded a £1.5 million grant from the UK Biomedical Catalyst, a funding programme jointly operated by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and Innovate UK. The Biomedical Catalyst is a funding programme jointly operated by the UK Medical Research Council and Innovate UK (formerly the Technology Strategy Board - TSB) providing responsive and effective support for the best translational life science opportunities arising in the UK. Grants are available to UK academics and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) seeking to move their research more quickly from discovery to commercialisation.
Therapeutic area: Metabolic diseases - Rare diseases
