Dublin, Ireland – 23 May 2025: SelekTx, a UCD spin-out project developing a new class of precision biologics for hard-to-drug targets, today announced that Professor David O’Connell presented the company’s innovative GPCR-targeting platform at the leading biologics conferences Protein Engineering Summit Boston on 12 May 2025 and the 4th GPCRs-Targeted Drug Discovery Summit, held on 21 May 2025. The presentations, titled "Targeting the pro-inflammatory activity of the cannabinoid receptor CB2R in IBD using libraries of highly stable, constrained GPCR-modulating peptides" & “Harnessing a Highly-Selective Designer Protein Platform to Identify Agonists, Antagonists & Inverse Agonists for GPCR Targets,” presented data supporting the therapeutic potential of Selektides—SelekTx’s proprietary class of engineered protein binders.
GPCRs (G protein-coupled receptors) represent one of the most therapeutically validated target classes in drug development, yet their structural complexity and conformational flexibility make them notoriously difficult to drug with high selectivity. Professor O’Connell’s presentation highlighted SelekTx’s end-to-end platform for GPCR biologics discovery, integrating proprietary scaffold design with four modular technology components: EndoSelekt, IntelliSelekt, FunctionSelekt, and FormatSelekt.
“Our presentation at the GPCR Summit reflects how rapidly the SelekTx platform is evolving,” said Prof. David O’Connell. “Selektides are not only demonstrating high target specificity in discovery campaigns but are now showing promise in functional modulation—distinguishing between agonists, antagonists, and inverse agonists. This is precisely the kind of capability pharmaceutical partners are looking for in next-generation biologic platforms.”
The presentation included case studies on targets central to inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic disorders, and metastatic cancer—demonstrating the ability of Selektides to selectively engage disease-relevant GPCRs such as CB2R, GLP1-R, GIPR, and chemokine receptor (CXCR) heterodimers. Early-stage in vivo studies of pharmacokinetics and functional activity are underway, supported by recent grants from Enterprise Ireland and the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
The conferences are premier scientific gatherings focused on GPCR research and drug development, drawing leading academic and industry scientists to discuss advances in structural biology, pharmacology, and therapeutic innovation.
About SelekTx
SelekTx is a University College Dublin spin-out project developing a next-generation platform for engineering precision biologics against hard-to-drug disease proteins. Its proprietary Selektide scaffold combines high structural stability with customizable paratope presentation, enabling selective targeting of GPCRs, amyloids, and other challenging proteins. SelekTx’s goal is to license its platform-generated drug candidates to pharma partners, with a focus on chronic diseases where selectivity and safety are unmet needs.
For further information, please contact:
Prof. David O’Connell – david.oconnell@ucd.ie
Dr. Kyran McStay – kyran@selektx.com
www.selektx.com