ArcoScreen wins CHF 150,000 to revolutionize drug discovery

G-Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) represent 35% of all approved modern drug targets globally and 25% of the 200 most profitable drugs sold in the USA. These membrane proteins are the most successful drug targets to treat diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, or diabetes. Currently, 60% of the new GPCR targeting drugs fail in phase II clinical trials. These failures represent a significant loss of approximately USD 700 million and five years of wasted development time per molecule. This high failure rate results from the lack of translation between the “decoupled” results obtained from in-vitro model cells and in-vivo in patients. Thus, there is a strong need for new biological GPCR screening assays performed upstream directly on patient cells, as primary cells can decrease the failure rate in stage II clinical trials by 50%.

With SynScreen, Lausanne-based EPFL spin-off ArcoScreen has developed a solution that revolutionizes GPCR screening by identifying a drug’s mode of action―the effect of a drug inside a cell―in a single assay performed on patient cells. The startup targets G-Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs), the most successful drug targets in cells to treat diseases including cancer, Parkinson’s, or Alzheimer’s.

SynScreen is the first and only on-chip, non-radioactive GPCR screening assay directly performed on patient cells. ArcoScreen’s technology provides a new method for pharmaceutical companies to predict drug failure at the in-vitro screening step in later-stage clinical trials, resulting in potential savings of up to USD 2.45 billion per drug target investigated. Moreover, the shorter and more accurate testing of SynScreen enables pharma companies to bring vital drugs to the market faster.

ArcoScreen was founded in 2021 in Lausanne by Margaux Duchamp (CEO) and Thamani Dahoun (CTO). The Venture Kick funds will enable the startup to complete its team and ramp-up industrial production by securing additional suppliers. ArcoScreen also intends to strengthen its client partnerships further.

“Venture Kick enabled us to grow from a project to a company. The Kickers Camps pushed us to continuously question our positions and give the best of ourselves,” said Margaux Duchamp, ArcoScreen co-founder and CEO.