SandboxAQ and MapLight Therapeutics have announced a strategic collaboration aimed at discovering and developing potential first-in-class therapies targeting a novel G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) for central nervous system (CNS) disorders.

 

Under the agreement, SandboxAQ will receive an upfront payment and could earn up to $200 million in milestone payments tied to preclinical, development, regulatory, and commercial achievements. The two companies will jointly conduct preclinical research, while MapLight secures exclusive rights for clinical development and commercialization of any compounds emerging from the collaboration.

 

“We are excited to advance research efforts for this novel target that was identified and validated using our discovery platform,” said James Lillie, Chief Scientific Officer at MapLight. “We look forward to collaborating with SandboxAQ to leverage their AI platform to discover and advance novel therapies that have the potential to address significant unmet patient needs across a spectrum of CNS conditions.”

 

SandboxAQ will deploy its large-scale AI models and high-fidelity molecular simulations to rapidly explore receptor structure-function, predict ligand-receptor interactions, and optimize drug properties. This approach promises faster DMTA (Design-Make-Test-Analyze) cycles and accelerated identification of potential drug candidates.

 

“Our AQBioSim platform allows us to simulate and predict molecular interactions with GPCRs with a level of precision that simply wasn’t possible before,” said Andrea Bortolato, VP of Drug Discovery at SandboxAQ. 

 

“Our platform enables a systematic, data-driven exploration of chemical space that has eluded traditional approaches, thereby accelerating the generation and optimization of potential drug candidates. By combining our platform with MapLight’s CNS expertise, we aim to deliver potential first-in-class therapies for a promising GPCR target.”