Partnership combines AbTherx's proprietary Atlas™ Long CDR3 Technology with GPCR Therapeutics' deep expertise in GPCR biology to discover and develop antibodies for novel targets
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA / ACCESS Newswire / June 16, 2025 / AbTherx, a biotechnology company with innovative technologies that enable therapeutic antibody discovery against challenging targets, today announced a research collaboration with GPCR Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, to discover and develop therapeutic antibodies targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) for one target, with the potential to expand to additional targets.
AbTherx's antibody discovery platform is built on two decades of experience and utilizes the immune system's evolutionary intelligence to identify diverse and developable human antibodies. This collaboration leverages AbTherx's innovative, patent-pending Atlas Long CDR3 Mouse to create antibodies with long CDR3 regions, providing the unique opportunity to access buried epitopes within GPCRs, ion channels, and other difficult targets. These fully human antibodies minimize developability and immunogenicity risk by leveraging a rare, naturally occurring phenomenon in humans.
GPCR Therapeutics is developing drugs targeting GPCRs to treat cancer, fibrosis, and obesity. Its stem cell mobilization program is now undergoing a phase 2 clinical trial in the United States of America. The company has also established capabilities for antigen development, antibody screening, and profiling for the discovery of antibodies targeting GPCRs, which are historically known to be challenging targets for antibody discovery.
"We are excited to strategically partner with GPCR Therapeutics to co-create a potentially life-saving therapeutic, leveraging the full power of the AbTherx team, combining a potentially best-in-class antibody discovery platform with a highly successful team of drug hunters," said Justin Mika, CEO of AbTherx. "This collaboration is a first for our proprietary Atlas Long CDR3 Mouse. We are keen to explore the full potential of this technology to discover and develop transformative, new antibody therapies for challenging targets."
"We are thrilled to collaborate with one of the world's most experienced antibody discovery teams," said Dong Seung Seen, CEO of GPCR Therapeutics. "Our partnership with AbTherx marks a significant milestone for GPCR Therapeutics, strategically enhancing our ability to generate therapeutic antibodies against our priority targets. By combining our respective strengths, we aim to explore the largely uncharted territory of GPCR-targeting antibodies, ultimately striving to bring multiple first-in-class therapies to patients. The potential to expand our focus to additional targets in oncology, fibrosis, and obesity, further underscores the strategic value of this collaboration."
AbTherx has a range of partnering strategies from technology licensing to strategic collaborations. The Long CDR3 technology has the potential to deliver high-impact therapeutics for some of the most challenging targets. It is available for strategic research collaborations and co-development partnerships aimed at advancing innovative therapeutics. This AbTherx and GPCR Therapeutics partnership is expected to yield a pre-clinical asset governed by a 50/50 ownership structure, drawing on the complementary strengths and resources of both parties to develop a novel modality targeting GPCRs, the largest and most diverse family of drug targets.
About AbTherx
AbTherx is advancing medicine with revolutionary technologies that accelerate and enable therapeutic antibody discovery. Through an exclusive license from Gilead Sciences, AbTherx has released Atlas™ Mice, a suite of novel transgenic technologies designed for unmatched performance and Freedom to Operate. For over 20 years, a core group of AbTherx's scientists have worked together to push the boundaries of antibody discovery technologies, resulting in more than 1,000 successful discovery campaigns and the development of 13 marketed therapeutics. AbTherx's industry-leading team creates transformative solutions to overcome the most demanding challenges in delivering innovative medicines. Committed to making its technologies accessible to all, AbTherx offers flexible partnering models that meet the needs of drug developers of all sizes. For more information, please visit www.abtherx.com.
About GPCR Therapeutics
GPCR Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company taking an innovative approach to developing therapeutics based on its proprietary GPCR science. The company is currently conducting a Phase 2 clinical trial in the U.S. to evaluate the efficacy of GPC-100 in combination with propranolol in patients with multiple myeloma, in collaboration with Exicure. In addition to its lead program, GPCR Therapeutics is advancing multiple partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotech companies to develop therapies targeting cancer, fibrosis, obesity, and rare diseases. The company is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. For more information, please visit www.gpcr.co.kr
AbTherx Media Contact
Stacey Borders
stacey@abtherx.com
SOURCE: AbTherx, Inc
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