Funding to target G-proteins

Domainex, a privately-owned drug discovery services company, has been awarded funding to develop a new biophysical screening method for G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs).

The company will receive £118,000 from the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, to develop the screening method. This investment represents an opportunity for the company to develop a technology to accelerate the discovery of new drugs.

“Domainex is developing a new way of starting GPCR drug discovery projects by using a biophysical technique called MicroScale Thermophoresis (MST), in combination with a method developed by Professor Tim Dafforn and his team at the University of Birmingham to stabilise the receptor,” said Trevor Perrior, Chief Scientific Officer at Domainex.

“This Biomedical Catalyst Feasibility Award from Innovate UK will enable Domainex scientists to test the feasibility of using this approach on GPCRs, in order to establish a generic platform that would work for any purified GPCR without the need for stabilising mutations.”

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are proteins found on the surface of cells. They detect molecules outside the cell and consequently activate internal signalling pathways that mediate cellular responses. Despite being one of the most popular classes of investigational drug targets, with 25-30% of all marketed drugs focussing on them globally, many with untapped therapeutic potential, are yet to be identified.