Crystal Bank Collaboration with UCB

Sareum Holdings plc, has announced that it has entered into a collaborative agreement with UCB, to provide protein structure determination capabilities to accelerate UCB’s cancer drug discovery research.

Sareum will provide UCB with access to its Crystal Bank protein structures that are drug discovery targets in several therapeutic areas. Sareum will then generate structures of selected proteins engaged with UCB’s potential drug candidates.

This detailed structural information aims to illustrate the precise nature of how UCB’s potential drug candidates interact with their target receptor proteins, thus assisting UCB’s scientists in their search for new and improved therapeutics in a number of clinical indications.

In return, Sareum will receive access fees and success milestone payments. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Commenting on the agreement, Sareum’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Tim Mitchell, said: “We are delighted that UCB has chosen Sareum as their partner in protein structure determination. This is a further important collaboration that Sareum has signed with a global pharmaceutical company and an additional example of how our Crystal Bank protein structure resource is providing revenues to support our in-house drug discovery programs.”

Commenting on the agreement, UCB’s Mark Busfeild, Vice President, NCE Research, said: “UCB recognises the value provided by Sareum’s Crystal Bank service. It provides us with rapid access to crystal structures with our own proprietary compounds, complementing our internal structural biology capabilities.”