The SK&F team used a rational drug-design structure starting from the structure of histamine — the only design lead, since nothing was known of the then hypothetical H2 receptor. Hundreds of modified compounds were synthesized in an effort to develop a model of the receptor. The first breakthrough was "Nα"-guanylhistamine, a partial H2 receptor antagonist. From this lead, the receptor model was further refined and eventually led to the development of burimamide, the first H2 receptor antagonist. Burimamide, a specific competitive antagonist at the H2 receptor, 100 times more potent than "Nα"-guanylhistamine, proved the existence of the H2 receptor.