Albany Molecular Research Inc. (AMRI), a global contract research and manufacturing organisation, has signed a collaboration agreement with biotechnology company Multispan Inc. to co-market their G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) drug discovery services to global pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.

As part of the three-year agreement, AMRI gains access to Multispan's uniquely differentiated GPCR cell lines, assay capabilities and expertise. Multispan's customers will benefit from AMRI's global integrated drug discovery solutions, including high-throughput screening (HTS) and discovery medicinal chemistry.

GPCRs belong to the family of cell surface receptors that respond to wide-ranging external stimuli and play a major role in pharmacology. GPCRs mediate key physiological processes in the body and are a well-established target class of highly druggable receptors, owing to their indispensable role in cell signaling. The majority of the drugs discovered and 30 per cent of those available in the market target GPCRs. According to Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global G-protein coupled receptors market stood at $1.6 billion in 2013 and is estimated to reach $3.5 billion by the end of 2022. However, there are still novel innovative targets and approaches within this class that can be addressed.

"We are excited to be entering into this collaboration with Multispan as we implement our new US integrated drug discovery center located on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus," said Rory Curtis, Ph.D., vice president, discovery biology and pharmacology, and site head of AMRI Buffalo.

"As a biotechnology company that exclusively focuses on drug discovery research targeting GPCRs, Multispan has an impressive collection of human GPCR clones and GPCR-expressing cell lines for HTS, which will be beneficial to AMRI's integrated drug discovery efforts."

Aimed at increasing success in GPCR drug discovery, the alliance with Multispan is an example of the local and national partnerships AMRI is creating to combine validated assays and technologies with its state-of-the-art HTS and analytic informatics.

"We have a responsibility to our partners and customers to use the best assays available to improve GPCR drug discovery, drive reductions in discovery cycle time and yield compounds that will ultimately be successful in the clinic," Dr. Curtis continued. "Our strategy is to leverage and build creative and effective collaborations with on-campus and off-campus partners from academia, biotech and pharma."

"We are excited to bring our GPCR capabilities and services to AMRI's customers through this strategic alliance," added Helena Mancebo, CEO of Multispan. "In addition, we are eager for our customers to have access to the leading-edge capabilities for drug discovery that AMRI's new centre in Buffalo offers across biology and medicinal chemistry."