Proteros biostructures has entered into a second research agreement with Merck Sharp & Dohme. The new collaboration is aimed at developing small molecule compounds against an additional epigenetic target for the potential treatment of various cancers.

Under the terms of the agreement, Proteros receives an upfront payment and research funding and will be eligible to receive development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments up to $167 million plus tiered royalties. Additional details of the collaboration were not disclosed.

Dr. Torsten Neuefeind, CEO of Proteros, said, “We are pleased to expand our relationship with MSD just one year after starting our first collaboration in epigenetic drug discovery. This new collaboration will benefit from our previous and ongoing work with the team at MSD and we look forward to a further successful partnership, which potentially could transform the treatment of many cancers.”

Proteros, Martinsried/Munich, is a Germany-based private biotech company focused on drug discovery for novel and technically demanding targets.