This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

News
12 Jan 2011

Epizyme Lands $650M GSK Deal

GlaxoSmithKline has a partnership deal with Epizyme who will help GSK discover small molecule drugs for enzymes called histone methyltransferases.

GlaxoSmithKline is paying $20 million up front and more than $630 million in milestone payments for a partnership deal with Cambridge, MA based Epizyme. The biotech, which was founded in 2007, is developing drugs that target gene-regulating enzymes responsible for triggering diseases. Specifically, Epizyme will help GSK discover small molecule drugs for enzymes called histone methyltransferases, which play a role in spurring cancer as well as inflammation, metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative ailments and other conditions. Epigenetic enzymes regulate whether genes are turned off or on, the company explained in a statement. According to Xconomy, Epizyme's original focus was cancer, but the company has since expanded its research to other disease areas. The deal announcement did not specify what therapeutic areas the GSK deal would target.

 

Robert Gou

Related News