Q-State Biosciences and Vertex Pharma Enter into Multi-Year Drug Discovery Collaboration

Q-State Biosciences announced that the company has entered into a strategic collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated to discover drugs using Q-State’s novel Optopatch platform. Under the terms of the deal, Q-State will receive upfront and research support, and is eligible to receive research, development and sales milestones, and royalties on drug sales. The companies will collaborate for at least two years.

In the collaboration, Q-State will use its proprietary drug discovery platform to develop novel cell-based assays that the companies will use to identify compound candidates. The Q-State platform combines cutting edge technologies that use induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to mimic disease in cells and a unique Optopatch™ all-optical electrophysiology system to measure differences between normal and diseased nerve cells. Vertex is responsible for all development and commercialization activities resulting from the collaboration.

“This partnership is a fantastic opportunity for Q-State to apply its unique drug discovery platform to help patients and their families,” said Jonathan J. Fleming, President & CEO of Q-State. “We believe that our technology platform, and particularly our Optopatch™ system, provides a new approach to finding therapeutics for neurological diseases; and we are very excited to be embarking on this collaboration with Vertex.”