Following $40m Series A, Escient contacts Eurofins to advance drug discovery
San Diego, CA-based Escient has turned to Eurofins' for its assay development and G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) drug discovery services to identify novel therapeutics targeting Mas-Related G-Protein Receptors (Mrgpr).
According to the company – which completed the Series A financing round in May 2018 – medicines for neuro-immuno-inflammatory and autoreactive diseases will initially be pursued.
As per the ‘ongoing’ collaboration, Eurofins will provide in vitro preclinical discovery services for Escient's programs.
"The preclinical discovery support required for Escient's novel drug targets plays well to Eurofins' expertise and capabilities and this collaboration will greatly expedite our discovery path," said Marcus Boehm PhD, Escient’s chief scientific officer, in statement.
Christina Shasserre, senior vice president of Eurofins Discovery, said, "We have been offering services for all phases of drug discovery and can now assemble this offering into an integrated service with program management staffed from experts in drug discovery, termed DiscoveryOne.”