Almirall enters drug discovery alliance with Sareum

Leading Spanish drugmaker Almirall has signed an R&D accord with UK structure-based drug discovery specialist Sareum, to conduct projects on the elucidation of 3D protein conformations and to accelerate the de novo discovery process which, typically, can take 10-15 years and cost 600.0-800.0 million euros ($740.4-987.3 million).

Sareum will utilize its high-throughput protein expression, purification and structure determination capabilities to ascertain relevant interactions between Almirall's candidate drug compounds and their cognate targets, with a view to developing structures that are even more biologically active and effective.

Jose Palacios, general director of R&D at the Barcelona-headquartered firm, said that "we consider protein structure determination an essential element in modern drug discovery strategy and we have high expectations that this collaboration will allow Almirall to significantly leverage its drug discovery capabilities."