Domainex, a privately-owned drug discovery services company, has been awarded £118,000 from the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, to develop a new biophysical screening method for G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs)
A schematic representation of a GPCR–SMALP viewed from within the plane of the membrane. Only the receptor (coloured) and lipid molecules (grey) are shown. Image credit: Wheatley et al.
This investment represents a significant 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, Domainex.
“This Biomedical Catalyst Feasibility Award from Innovate UK will enable Domainex scientists to test the feasibility of using this approach on GPCRs, to establish a generic platform that would work for any purified GPCR without the need for stabilising mutations.”
“This 12 month project will lead to a new service that Domainex can offer to prospective clients. It will facilitate our clients' research projects meaning better drugs will get to patients, faster,’ said Tom Mander, Chief Operating Officer, Domainex.
“As an integrated drug discovery services provider and the first CRO in the UK to offer fragment screening using MST, Domainex is in a unique position to innovate and advance drug discovery projects in this pivotal target class.”
