Partnership aims to develop first-in-class, small molecule therapeutics directed at a novel non-incretin GPCR target for cardiometabolic diseases
Deep Apple is eligible to receive up to $812 million, including an upfront payment, research costs, and milestone payments
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Deep Apple Therapeutics, Inc. announced today a research collaboration and exclusive worldwide license agreement with Novo Nordisk to discover, develop, and commercialize oral small molecule therapeutics directed at a novel non-incretin GPCR target for cardiometabolic diseases, including obesity.
Under the terms of the agreement, Deep Apple will discover and optimize compounds using its proprietary drug discovery platform, which combines machine-learning-powered virtual screening with structural biology enabled by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to dramatically improve speed, quality, and novelty in lead generation and optimization.
Novo Nordisk will receive exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize the resulting compounds and products in all indications. Both companies will collaborate on the research plan, with program handoff to Novo Nordisk occurring immediately prior to the start of IND-enabling studies.
Deep Apple is eligible to receive an upfront payment, research costs, and milestone payments from Novo Nordisk. In total, Deep Apple will be eligible to receive up to $812 million in payments, as well as potential royalties on sales of any products that emerge from the collaboration.
"Novo Nordisk is a long-established global leader in delivering transformative treatments for cardiometabolic diseases, and the Deep Apple team is energized by the opportunity to collaborate with them," said Spiros Liras, Ph.D., CEO of Deep Apple and a venture partner at Apple Tree Partners (ATP). "This program highlights our platform capabilities in identifying potent, novel leads within months, and the partnership with Novo Nordisk will enable us to advance a first-in-class non-incretin program for cardiometabolic diseases."
"Novo Nordisk is developing a range of potential oral medicines for cardiometabolic diseases across modalities and targets, as we know that people living with these diseases have different needs and preferences," said Jacob Sten Petersen, Senior Vice President, Diabetes, Obesity and MASH therapeutic area at Novo Nordisk. "We look forward to exploring this novel target further based on Deep Apple's AI-powered platform and expertise in small molecule drug discovery."
The target is a non-incretin G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) that is well-suited for Deep Apple's platform, which captures the dynamics and motion of GPCRs and other proteins in different conformations to reveal novel pockets that can be docked with Deep Apple's proprietary virtual libraries.
About Deep Apple
Deep Apple is writing a new playbook for small molecule drug discovery. Founded by Apple Tree Partners (ATP), Deep Apple combines ensemble cryo-EM to explore receptor conformations, deep learning, and the docking of multi-billion virtual compound libraries generated using the company's proprietary Orchard.ai algorithm. This structure-based, machine-learning driven drug design approach enables the company to rapidly advance novel candidates addressing well-validated targets in inflammatory and metabolic diseases. Deep Apple has built a rich pipeline of GPCR target programs, including a MRGPRX2 antagonist in, and a GIPR antagonist nearing, IND-enabling studies. For more information, visit deepappletx.com.
About Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. Our purpose is to drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases, built upon our heritage in diabetes. We do so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our medicines, and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease.
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