PeptiDream Inc., a Tokyo-based biopharmaceutical company, announced a multi-target discovery and optimisation collaboration with Teijin Pharma Limited, Tokyo, Japan. Under the agreement, PeptiDream will use its proprietary Peptide Discovery Platform System (PDPS) technology to generate macrocyclic/constrained peptides against multiple targets of interest selected by Teijin.

Teijin will have the right to develop and commercialise all therapeutic peptides resulting from the collaboration. In addition, Teijin will have the rights to use the macrocyclic/constrained peptides identified during the collaboration as starting compounds for the development of small molecules therapeutics against the collaboration targets.

PeptiDream will receive an undisclosed upfront payment, research funding and will be eligible for payments associated with the achievement of certain preclinical and clinical development milestones. In addition, PeptiDream is eligible to receive royalties on sales of any products that arise from the collaboration.

“We are very excited to begin collaborating with Teijin Pharma,” said Kiichi Kubota, CEO of PeptiDream Inc. “Our unique PDPS platform continues to prove to be one of the best hit identification platforms, especially in targeting protein-protein interactions (PPIs). No other technology can create such a chemically and structurally diverse set of functional and developable leads in such a short period of time. In collaboration with Teijin, we hope to use identified peptide leads as a starting point for small molecule drug design, an aspect of our PDPS platform that has not been overly leveraged to date, and should lead to the further expansion of alliance businesses.”