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Septerna has scored with an upsized IPO of $288M, which exceeded the $157.9M the company said it expected to generate early this week. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Septerna hasn't got "any meaningful clinical data" to hand, but the biotech thinks there will be investor appetite for its G protein-coupled receptors [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Boston-based biotech focuses on G protein-coupled receptors, which are proteins embedded in the membranes of cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schistosomiasis is an acute and chronic disease caused by parasitic worms of the genus Schistosoma. Treatment is solely dependent on praziquantel. In the face of the worldwide dimension, projects have been initiated to develop new chemotherapies. Due to their proven druggability, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are promising targets for anthelmintics. However, to identify candidate receptors, a deeper understanding of GPCR signalling in schistosome biology is essential. Comparative transcriptomics of paired and unpaired worms and their gonads revealed 59 differentially regulated GPCR-coding genes putatively involved in neuronal processes. In general, the diversity among GPCRs and their integral membrane topology make it difficult to characterize and deorphanize these receptors. To overcome existing limitations, we performed a pilot approach and utilized the innovative Membrane-Anchored Ligand And Receptor yeast two-hybrid system (MALAR-Y2H) to associate potential neuropeptide ligands with their cognate receptors. Here, we demonstrated the ability to express full-length GPCRs of Schistosoma mansoni in a heterologous yeast-based system. Additionally, we localized GPCRs and chimeras of neuropeptides fused to the WBP1 transmembrane domain of yeast to the plasma membrane of yeast cells. Reporter gene assays indicated ligand-receptor binding, which allowed us to identify certain neuropeptides as potential ligands for two GPCRs, which had been found before to be differentially expressed in schistosomes in a pairing-dependent manner. Thus, the MALAR-Y2H system appears suitable to unravel schistosome GPCR–ligand interactions. Besides its relevance for understanding schistosome biology, identifying and characterizing GPCR–ligand interaction will also contribute to applied research aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbbVie is paying $225 million cash to acquire DJS Antibodies and the British biotech's platform for targeting transmembrane proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serge Messerlian is probably missing out on a big celebration back at the offices of his former employer, Johnson & Johnson, after the approval of multiple myeloma med Carvykti last week. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The California biotech is co-founded by Robert Lefkowitz—a pioneer in GPCR, one of the most popular drug targets—and incubated by Third Rock Ventures, which helped bankroll $100 million for initial research into endocrine, central nervous system, metabolic and inflammatory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A team at Regeneron Genetics Center has discovered mutations in the gene GPR75 that protect against obesity. They showed in a new study that when they fed a high-fat diet to mice that were engineered to lack either one or two copies of the gene, the animals didn't gain nearly as much weight as normal mice did. Now, Regeneron is searching for drugs to target the gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]