Structure Therapeutics, a Sino-US firm formerly known as ShouTi Inc., announced the oversubscription of USD33 million on top of a USD100 million Series B financing round in October last year. The expanded funding included new investors such as Deep Track Capital and Piper Heartland Healthcare Capital. Proceeds will support key clinical study programs and the application of a next-generation structure-based drug discovery platform to boost R & D of drugs targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR).
Clinical Study Update
Meanwhile, a single-dose escalation Phase I clinical study for its GSBR-1290, an oral small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist being developed to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, has completed first subject dosing. A total of 48 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. GSBR-1290, a GLP-1R-biased agonist, avoids β-arrestin-mediated receptor internalization and desensitization.
Market Context
GLP-1R is a validated GPCR drug target for the treatment of diabetes and obesity. Globally, five GLP-1R-based peptide drugs generated combined sales of USD13.1 billion in 2020. However, no small molecule GLP-1R drug has been approved for marketing. GSBR-1290 has shown excellent preclinical activity and good oral bioavailability, positioning it as a potential differentiated treatment option for patients with diabetes and obesity, offering an alternative to existing GLP-1R peptide therapies.-Fineline Info & Tech
