Genève SWITZERLAND, Jan 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Orion Biotechnology Holding SA., a biotechnology company focused on precision engineering small protein therapeutics, today announced that its drug discovery project was awarded funding of CHF 0.9M from Innosuisse, the Swiss Innovation Agency. The project will allow Orion, in collaboration with the University of Geneva, to further expand and optimize drug discovery capabilities using its novel platform. The proprietary platform driven by Dr. Oliver Hartley and his team at the University of Geneva delivers a novel approach to G Protein-Coupled Receptor (GPCR) targeting by precision-engineering natural peptide and protein analogs that bind to GPCR targets with both enhanced potency and tailored signaling activity. The Innosuisse grant funds 50 percent of the project costs, covering research to be carried out collaboratively by Orion Biotechnology and the University of Geneva.

“We are very excited to receive this grant from Innosuisse, which will contribute to further innovative research & development under our drug discovery platform,” stated Mark Groper, CEO of Orion Biotechnology Holding SA and President of Orion Biotechnology Canada. “This support will advance our new approach to GPCR-targeting and accelerate the development of next generation therapeutics. Orion’s platform technology has demonstrated its ability to generate first-in-class GPCR-targeted therapeutics with best-in-class potency. This Innosuisse-funded project will further enhance Orion’s ability to target valuable GPCRs that have proved challenging using established discovery approaches.”