Deal hungry Sosei Heptares brings Roche's Genentech on board as a partner
Japan’s Sosei Heptares is stacking up key partners. On Tuesday, the Tokyo-based company said it had joined forces with Roche’s Genentech to develop medicines that modulate G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR), an entrenched class of integral cell membrane proteins found in cells and tissues across the body.
The GPCR family includes receptors that are responsible for the recognition of light, taste, odors, hormones, pain and neurotransmitters, among other things — making it a popular target for drug development. About a third of existing medicines target GPCR — but about 224 of the roughly 400 receptors are still unexplored, Sosei said.
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