Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited has entered a drug discovery and licensing agreement with Heptares Therapeutics Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sosei Group Corporation, focused on a single G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) nominated by Daiichi Sankyo that plays a crucial role in relieving pain.

Under the terms of the agreement, Heptares will apply its proprietary StaR (stabilised receptor) technology to engineer thermally stabilised forms of the GPCR as the basis for the drug discovery programme. Heptares will also employ advanced structural biology and rational drug design approaches, X-ray crystallography and fragment screening to delineate the GPCR's structure and to generate lead candidates. Daiichi Sankyo will also participate in lead generation and in vivo models.

Daiichi Sankyo will be eligible to receive exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize novel, small molecules discovered by Heptares focused on the nominated GPCR. In return, Heptares will receive an upfront payment, research funding, and is eligible to receive additional research, development and commercialization milestone payments. In addition, Heptares will be eligible to receive royalties on net sales of products resulting from the alliance.

Daiichi Sankyo expects that it will offer a novel treatment option to all patients suffering pain resulting from many different causes by creating innovative medicines using a proprietary structure-based drug design technology owned by Heptares.

Heptares is a clinical-stage company creating transformative medicines targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), a superfamily of 375 receptors linked to a wide range of human diseases.