Receptos Announces License to Advance Structure-Based Drug Discovery for High-Value G-Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR) Targets

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Receptos, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, today announces grant of license and technology transfer to Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OMJPI) for Receptos’s breakthrough GPCR crystal structure determination technology. The Receptos technology was exclusively licensed from The Scripps Research Institute and has been further advanced by Receptos into the disciplines of drug discovery and development. Following training by Receptos on multiple GPCR targets, the technology will be applied at OMJPI for internal drug discovery efforts in their GPCR pipeline. Financial details of the partnership were not disclosed.

“This unique deal leverages Receptos’s core technology and enhances the portfolio of GPCR technology around which Receptos is building knowledge and intellectual property”

“This unique deal leverages Receptos’s core technology and enhances the portfolio of GPCR technology around which Receptos is building knowledge and intellectual property,” said Faheem Hasnain, President and Chief Executive Officer of Receptos. “The relationship with OMJPI is part of the Receptos plan to enable strategic partners with Receptos technology and enhance industry efforts to pursue rational drug design for this important class of therapeutic targets.”

About GPCR Structure-Based Drug Discovery

GPCRs are the largest protein class of drug targets and until recently, these key cell surface signal transduction receptors have been intractable for reliable structure-based drug discovery. With recent developments in the field, Receptos and its collaborators can now combine cell-based chemical screens with in vitro biophysical ligand screening and rational design. This combination of tools applied to crystallographically well-defined drug binding pockets yield higher quality GPCR clinical candidates, including allosteric and bitopic small molecules, before the expensive commitment of clinical trials.

About Receptos

Receptos is a biopharmaceutical company developing best- and first-in-class G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) therapeutic candidates through information-driven drug discovery, including GPCR structure determination. The company’s lead program is a best-in-class sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor (S1P1) small molecule agonist candidate for autoimmune indications, including multiple sclerosis, that will enter a Phase 1 clinical trial in early 2011. The S1P1 program is supported by the company's recently determined high-resolution protein crystal structure of the S1P1 receptor. In November 2009, Receptos completed a $25 million Series A financing and is supported by a seasoned VC syndicate including ARCH Venture Partners, Flagship Ventures, Lilly Ventures and Venrock. For more information please visit us at http://www.receptos.com.