Boehringer Ingelheim and FORMA Therapeutics have entered into a R&D collaboration to discover and develop novel drug candidates for the treatment of cancer. The agreement will focus on discovering small molecule drugs against oncology-relevant protein-protein interactions.

FORMA will receive a total of $65 million in upfront payments and research funding to screen for and optimize compounds against multiple oncology targets during the next four years. FORMA is eligible to receive as much as $750 million in milestones for programs resulting from the collaboration.

“Many of the ‘un-druggable’ and/or novel targets in oncology involve protein-protein interactions,” said Kenneth Bair, Ph.D., senior vice president and head of R&D of FORMA. “We are really excited about tackling these essential targets with Boehringer Ingelheim.”

“This creative deal provides Boehringer Ingelheim with access to our drug discovery capabilities in cancer but also offers FORMA and our shareholders several opportunities to realize early return through assets developed under this collaboration,” said Steven Tregay, Ph.D., chief executive officer of FORMA.