TARGETING THE MOLECULE

WHICH CONTROLS HUNGER PANGS

DRUG TARGETS: 7TM receptors (seven transmembrane segment receptors) constitute the largest family of proteins in the human genome. They are also the target for the majority of the best selling drugs today.

On every human cell there are countless numbers of signal molecules, known as receptors, which send messages back and forth from cell to cell. For instance, when the hormone which controls hunger gives the cells a message to tell the brain that your stomach is getting full, a special receptor passes the signal on from hormone to cell. Not any receptor, but one of the large group of 7 Trans Membrane receptors. In short 7TM.

If one wanted to speed up the feeling of satiety so that one eats less, then one idea would be to get these receptors to signal more frequently, or earlier. Promoting the connection between the hormone, cell and brain would give the appetite centre in the brain a faster message that the stomach is close to being full.

...we are able to produce molecules which can alter the activities of the receptors,” says Mette Kirstine Agger, CEO of 7TM Pharma.

Structure
To be able to do that it is necessary to understand the complexity of 7TM receptors. To know how they behave, what they look like, how they are targeted most efficiently. As the name implies, 7TM Pharma knows exactly that. It is a Danish biotech company which successfully specialises in influencing the receptors by targeting them with specially developed molecules. One of the means for doing this correctly is to form images of the special structure of the receptors.

7TM Pharma’s success as a world leader in this field comes especially from its ability to form 3D images of the receptors to find out precisely where they can be targeted most efficiently, and how they respond when they are exposed to various chemical compounds.

Rich pipeline
“Because we have such a broad understanding of the 7 TM receptors’ structure, we are able to produce molecules which can alter the activities of the receptors,” says Mette Kirstine Agger, CEO of 7TM Pharma. “It has also meant that in a short period of time – we were established in 2000 –we have created a rich pipeline of discovery and development programmes, all based on in-house research and development.” The company’s activities are a mix of development of own brands as well as collaboration projects with a number of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Ortho-McNeil, Astra-Zeneca, Lundbeck and Proctor & Gamble.

http://www.7tm.com

Large investments in Danish biotech

7TM Pharma is among the group of successful Danish biotech companies which attracted large investments in 2005. In spring 2006, 7TM Pharma announced the closing of a EUR 19 million Series C financing round. The round was led by LD Pensions in collaboration with Scottish Widows Investment Partnership and includes a significant commitment from existing investors Alta Partners, Novo A/S, Index Ventures, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation and Dansk Innovationsinvestering.

The capital raised will support current operations in 7TM Pharma well into 2008. This includes clinical development through phase IIa proof-of-concept of the lead anti-obesity agents TM30338 and TM30339 as well as the initiation of development of further drug candidates emerging from 7TM Pharma’s in-house discovery efforts.

“We have followed 7TM Pharma’s development over the years and we are impressed with their overall performance and their achievement of the milestones set,” Hans Jørgensen Madsen of LD Pensions says. “7TM Pharma has established a strong portfolio of programmes in metabolic disorders such as obesity, pioneering new therapeutic approaches in an area with clearly unmet medical needs and very large potential.”