Septerna

Septerna Inc. has been launched to discover and advance novel small molecules medicines that target G-proten-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The co-founders are Prof Arthur Christopoulos and Prof Patrick Sexton of Monash Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences with Nobel laureate Prof Robert Lefkowitz from Duke University. Monash's Prof Denise Wooten will join the team of scientific advisors.

Despite being the largest family of proteins targeted by approved drug products, the majority of GPCR targets remain undrugged, with the complexity and nature of GPCRs making them difficult to explore. Septerna has developed a proprietary technology, the GPCR Native Complex^TM Platform, to enable industrial-scale drug discovery using novel screening technologies and structure-based drug design. This approach ushers in a new era of drug discovery, bringing together years of innovation in understanding novel models of GPCR drug action.

The company has attracted US$100m in Series A funding, led by Third Rock Ventures.

Read more:

• Monash researchers founding scientists of new GPCR biotechnology company launched with US$100 million in financing
• https://septerna.com/