Structure: Replacing biologics with small molecules

A planned one-year sabbatical in Asia for Raymond Stevens turned into a multiyear company-building exercise in Shanghai that has yielded a well-funded biotech seeking to convert biologics into best-in-class small molecules accessible to patients on a global scale.

Stevens, who co-founded Receptos Inc. in 2008, said the idea for Structure Therapeutics Inc. (formerly ShouTi Inc.) came together when he realized he could apply the same GPCR structural biology platform behind Receptos’ programs to find small molecules against other GPCR targets. ...