Ono Enters into Collaboration Agreement with Domain Therapeutics and Université de Montréal for GPCR-Targeted Drug Discovery
Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Osaka, Japan; President and CEO: Gyo Sagara; “Ono”) today announced that it has newly signed a collaboration agreement with Domain Therapeutics S.A. (Strasbourg, France; CEO: Pascal Neuville; “Domain”) and Université de Montréal (Québec, Canada; “UdM”), to discover novel small molecules targeting G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) in a metabolic disease area.
Under the agreement, Ono will collaborate with Domain and UdM utilizing the bioSens-All® technology GPCR drug discovery platform, in-licensed by Domain from UdM, and their expertise in GPCR medicinal chemistry and pharmacology to design and optimize innovative small molecules against a GPCR selected as therapeutic target by Ono, for future drug development program.
Ono will have worldwide exclusive rights to develop and commercialize any pharmaceutical product arising out of the drug discovery collaboration. Ono will pay to Domain and UdM an upfront payment, research funding for the collaborative research programs, success-based milestones on the research and development progress, as well as royalties on future sales.
“We highly appreciate Domain’s and UdM’s bioSens-All® technology platform for detection of the proximal signaling pathways of GPCR,” said Toichi Takino, Senior Executive Officer / Executive Director, Discovery & Research of Ono. “We look forward to collaborating with Domain and UdM, having world-class top scientists for GPCR research, to create and bring innovative therapeutic drugs for patients suffering from metabolic diseases with unmet medical needs as soon as possible.”
“‘At Domain, we are delighted to build on our long-term relationship with Ono pharma and UdM,” commented Stephan Schann, Domain Therapeutics’ Vice President of Research and Partnerships. “The bioSens-All® technology platform constitute a disruptive approach to address GPCR drug discovery.”
“Very early on, we have accumulated a great expertise on GPCR and its pharmacology,” notes Michel Bouvier, CEO of IRIC, Université de Montréal’s Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer. “This new alliance makes it possible to establish a strong link between our research team, Domain Therapeutics, a longtime partner, and Ono Pharmaceuticals, our new strategic partner, for the benefit of patients suffering from metabolic disease.”
Download the pdf