ARLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tetragenetics Inc., an emerging biotechnology company engaged in the expression of ion channel drug targets, announced today that it had received a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of $1,539,000, to be awarded over two years. The grant will enable the establishment of a public-private partnership between Tetragenetics and the Tetrahymena Stock Center at Cornell University to provide recombinant protein expression services to the not-for-profit research community.
The grant also supports work that will expand the capabilities of the TetraExpress™ protein production platform including the development of an engineered host strain for drug free selection of transformed cells.
In collaboration with Heptares Therapeutics, the world leader in the production of stabilized G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), this grant will allow the two companies to develop optimized methods for high-yield GPCR expression in the TetraExpress™ system.
Dr. Ted Clark, Chief Scientific Officer of Tetragenetics said, “Tetrahymena has been a powerful model for basic research for more than 50 years and the work Tetragenetics has done is now harnessing its potential in the practical arena of biotechnology. The funding provided by NIH will allow academic researchers access to a very novel platform for the expression of membrane proteins, and the collaboration between Tetragenetics and Heptares may lead to significant advances in the realm of GPCR production.”
About Tetragenetics: Tetragenetics has developed proprietary technology (TetraExpress™) that enables the rapid production of properly folded and functional ion channel proteins in membrane preparations and in purified form for use in antibody discovery and small molecule screening programs. The company uses these recombinant proteins to discover and develop new drugs for ion channel related autoimmune diseases and pain management. For more information, please visit: www.tetragenetics.com.
About Heptares Therapeutics: Heptares is a clinical-stage company creating transformative medicines targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), a superfamily of 375 receptors linked to a wide range of human diseases. Heptares proprietary structure-based drug design technology enables us to engineer drugs for highly validated, yet historically undruggable or challenging, GPCRs. Using this approach, we have built an exciting pipeline of new medicines with the potential to transform the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, cancer (immuno-oncology), migraine, addiction, metabolic disease, and other indications. Our pharmaceutical partners include Pfizer, AstraZeneca, MedImmune, MorphoSys and Teva. Heptares is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sosei Group Corporation. For more information, please visit www.heptares.com and www.sosei.com.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
Contacts
Tetragenetics
Suzanne Gibbons-Neff, 203-858-1325
Suzanne@sgnpr.com
