Sosei Heptares and InterAx Biotech AG have agreed a research and development partnership, according to a press release. The British pharmaceutical company plans to use the platform produced by the Aargau-based start-up to carry out a more detailed study of a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that has been linked to inflammatory diseases. GPCRs transmit signals from extracellular substances to the cell interior, where they trigger a response. These responses can be analyzed using InterAx’s platform.
Of around 800 known GPCRs, approximately 370 are of interest as docking sites for medications. However, according to an earlier press release issued by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), it has so far only been possible to use one in six of these for pharmacological purposes. InterAx Biotech’s platform will make it possible to find out more quickly and efficiently which GPCRs are relevant for medications. InterAx also plans to inform a future Sosei Heptares drug design program through the partnership.
InterAx Biotech is a spin-out of ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). Its platform is based on tools including artificial intelligence and cell signaling technology.
