Anchor Therapeutics Enters Into Collaborative Research Agreement with Kyowa Hakko Kirin for its Pepducin Technology
Anchor Therapeutics, Inc.Thomas J. McMurry, Ph.D., 617-715-1903Interim President and SVP, R&D
, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a collaborative agreement with Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. (KHK) to utilize Anchor’s proprietary pepducin technology to advance KHK’s internal G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) drug discovery portfolio. This agreement takes advantage of Anchor’s expanded business strategy to offer its pepducin technology for use as and research tools, in addition to developing pepducin therapeutics.
Under the agreement, Anchor and KHK will work jointly to discover and optimize pepducin research tools to further the molecular understanding of certain GPCR targets in the KHK portfolio. KHK will assume responsibility for application of the research tools against the targets. Anchor will receive an upfront payment, research funding, and downstream milestones.
“We are excited about this initial application of the pepducin technology as research tools and believe that this agreement will provide KHK with a unique perspective to better evaluate their GPCR targets and advance their internal drug discovery efforts,” said Thomas J. McMurry, Interim President and Senior Vice President, Research and Development of Anchor Therapeutics. “The licensing of pepducin technology as a research tool is a fundamental component of our business strategy, and we are actively pursuing other collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and research institutions.”
Pepducins are novel, allosteric modulators for G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) targets, especially those intractable to current approaches. They are composed of a short peptide derived from a GPCR intracellular loop linked to a lipid moiety. This structure allows pepducins to anchor in the cell membrane and target the GPCR protein via a unique intracellular allosteric mechanism. The pepducin technology platform represents an entirely new paradigm for modulating GPCR signal transduction, potentially providing a novel approach to studying the and biology of GPCRs and screening for small molecule modulators of these targets. This technology may transform the scope of GPCR therapeutics to treat a much wider range of serious illnesses, including inflammatory and metabolic diseases. Anchor Therapeutics has broad exclusivity to pepducin technology intellectual property.
Anchor Therapeutics, Inc. is a leader in the development of pepducin technology. The Company is engaged in the licensing of pepducin technology as research tools for drug development and has established a portfolio of first-in-class pepducin drug candidates, novel molecules that can selectively target G protein coupled receptors (GPCR) to allosterically modulate GPCR signaling.
Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. is a leading biopharmaceutical company in Japan. It had a new start in October 2008 following the merger of Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co.,Ltd. and Kirin Pharma Company, Limited, with the aim of becoming a global specialty pharmaceutical company that creates innovative new drugs. Kyowa Hakko Kirin is focusing its core business areas of oncology, nephrology and immunology to create new value in the life sciences and to contribute to the health and well-being of people around the world. For more information, visit