King’s College London (KCL) and Wellcome Trust (a medical charity) have signed a licensing deal with Merck & Co.(MSD), that could lead to a new class of pain medications.
The collaboration with KCL will investigate a class of drugs that blocks a protein known as HCN2, which has been shown to play a role in chronic pain. It is based on research at King’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience by Professor Peter McNaughton which has shown that blocking the activity of HCN2 in animal models can deliver effective pain relief without side effects.
King’s IP and Licensing team and the Wellcome’s Innovations team have negotiated a deal with Merck where they are eligible to receive up to $340 million in development and sales milestones, as well as royalties if a drug comes to market.
Read the press release