PERTH, Australia, 13 April, 2011 – Dimerix Bioscience Pty Ltd today announced that it has entered into a second research program with Takeda Cambridge Limited, a UK based subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Japan’s largest pharmaceutical company. This new program is in addition to the continuing research program announced on 15 April 2010.
Dimerix is a pre-clinical stage product company developing a pipeline of ’best in class’ lead products with highly specific activity and with reduced risk of off-target effects. Under the new agreement, Dimerix will continue to use its GPCR-HIT platform and leading insights into the ability of G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) to form complexes, called heteromers, to work with additional undisclosed GPCRs of interest to Takeda. The outcomes of the new and current programs will feed into Takeda Cambridge’s drug discovery capabilities.
Mark Carlton, President of Takeda Cambridge Limited said: “We are impressed by Dimerix’s achievements over the last 12 months and with the depth of information we have obtained by accessing the power of their GPCR-HIT platform. We have seen that the insights generated using GPCR-HIT provide us with an important extension to our GPCR drug discovery efforts. We are very pleased to be able to expand our efforts with Dimerix.”
Tim Grogan, CEO of Dimerix, said: “We are very pleased with this further expansion of our relationship with Takeda Cambridge. The relevance of our GPCR-HIT platform to the drug discovery and development process and our insights into the formation of complexes between G Protein-Coupled Receptors have been recognized again through this partnership with Takeda Cambridge.”
About GPCRs and Dimerix’ GPCR-HIT Platform:
Dimerix’ proprietary G Protein-Coupled Receptor Heteromer Identification Technology (GPCR-HIT) platform is used to identify complexes formed by GPCRs known as GPCR heteromers. The platform is also used to screen for and to profile compounds that interact with GPCR heteromers resulting in heteromer-selective or biased pharmacology. Use of GPCR-HIT significantly expands the scope of GPCR-based drug discovery and development through the identification of compounds having biased intracellular signaling that is mediated through the GPCR heteromers.
The technology can be applied at various stages of drug development including screening for leads and profiling of compounds, including profiling for potential toxicity or other side effects of compounds that are believed to act through monomeric GPCRs. It also has utility in drug re-positioning and new indication discovery.
Further details can be found in: See HB, Seeber RM, Kocan M, Eidne KA and Pfleger KDG (2011) Application of G Protein-Coupled Receptor Heteromer Identification Technology to Monitor β-arrestin Recruitment to G protein-Coupled Receptor Heteromers. Assay Drug Dev Technol 9: 21-30.
About Dimerix Bioscience Pty Ltd:
Dimerix is a Perth-based drug discovery company focused on developing pharmaceutical products targeting heteromers or complexes of GPCRs. Approximately 40% of all currently marketed pharmaceutical products worldwide target GPCRs. Dimerix’ GPCR-HIT platform, originally acquired from The University of Western Australia, is based on extensive research from the laboratories of scientists Professor Karin Eidne and Associate Professor Kevin Pfleger at the Laboratory for Molecular Endocrinology at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research. The company’s drug discovery and development portfolio is currently focused on programs for renal and cardiovascular disease indications. Dimerix is privately held. Additional information about Dimerix is available through its corporate website, www.dimerix.com. Dimerix is the recipient of a grant from Commercialisation Australia, www.commercialisationaustralia.gov.au.
About Takeda Cambridge Limited:
Located in Cambridge, UK, Takeda Cambridge Limited has established world-class target identification, validation and drug discovery capabilities. The company has developed a promising pipeline of novel drug discovery targets and compounds in key areas of unmet medical need.
About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited:
Located in Osaka, Japan, Takeda is a research-based global company with its main focus on pharmaceuticals. As the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan and one of the global leaders of the industry, Takeda is committed to strive towards better health for patients worldwide through leading innovation in medicine. Additional information about Takeda is available through its corporate website, www.takeda.com.
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Contact:
Tim Grogan, Chief Executive Officer
Dimerix Bioscience Pty Ltd
Ph: +61 (0) 438 655 452
E: tim.grogan@dimerix.com
www.dimerix.com
