Bayer to collaborate with PeptiDream

The Japanese drug discovery firm PeptiDream has added Bayer to the list of major drug firms with which it collaborates. Its agreement with Bayer involves identifying macrocyclic and constrained peptides from PeptiDream’s peptide library for use against targets selected by Bayer. Promising compounds will be optimized into therapeutic peptides or small-molecule drugs. PeptiDream will receive an up-front fee as part of the agreement and could receive as much as $1.1 billion in milestone payments. The Japanese firm has similar agreements with drugmakers including Merck & Co., Janssen, and Bristol-Myers Squibb.