Belharra Therapeutics, a next-generation chemoproteomics company transforming small molecule drug discovery by illuminating binding pockets on elusive, high-value drug targets across the proteome, has announced a strategic collaboration with Sanofi to advance the discovery of novel small molecule therapeutics for immunological diseases.
The collaboration will leverage Belharra’s proprietary non-covalent chemoproteomics platform to screen and validate hits against undisclosed Sanofi-designated immunology targets.
Belharra is eligible to receive up to $40 million in upfront and near-term milestone payments, with a potential total deal value of up to nearly $700 million in payments over the course of the collaboration in research, development and commercial milestones, as well as tiered royalties on net sales.
“We look forward to combining the powerful capabilities of Belharra’s next-generation chemotherapeutics platform with Sanofi’s vast expertise in immunology research and development as we work together toward discovering new therapeutics for challenging-to-treat diseases,” said Jeff Jonker, CEO of Belharra.
“With the ability to illuminate any pocket, on any protein, in any cell type, our platform enables perhaps the broadest and most unbiased chemoproteomic screening capabilities in the industry. Leveraging the platform, we have built a robust internal pipeline focused on oncology and immunology and are thrilled to simultaneously engage with therapeutic area leaders like Sanofi to maximize the platform’s potential to discover a wave of new first-in-class and best-in-class drugs for unmet patient needs.”
“Our collaboration with Belharra demonstrates our efforts to build on our achievements in delivering first-in-class treatments for chronic inflammatory diseases by pushing the science of immunology further to advance new therapeutics that could change patients’ lives,” said John Bertin, Global Head of Immunology and Inflammation Research, Sanofi. “By leveraging Belharra’s chemoproteomics platform, we hope to explore immunology targets that, to date, have been considered undruggable.”
