Aurora Biosciences Announces Drug Discovery Program Funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Aurora Biosciences Corporation (Nasdaq: ABSC) announced today that the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation ("CFF") is providing funding for a collaboration with Aurora to identify potential therapeutics to treat the defect identified as the primary cause of cystic fibrosis ("CF"). The grant is part of the Foundation's Therapeutics Development Program, which is funding efforts to discover drugs that may treat the symptoms as well as the cause of the disease.
In CF, a defective gene causes cells to produce a faulty ion channel that would normally allow chloride to exit the cell; this also interferes with the exchange of sodium. Under the agreement, Aurora will develop screening assays for the functional defect in CF in cell-based assays and will conduct high-throughput screening using its library of compounds. "In this work Aurora will deploy its proprietary ion channel technology platform which includes a patented dual fluorophore voltage sensor system, innovative cell and molecular biology and the VIPR(TM) high-throughput kinetic plate reader," commented Paul A. Negulescu, Ph.D., Aurora's senior director, cell biology. "These technologies will allow us to develop assays in cystic fibrosis cells and directly screen for chemicals that correct the cell's function." CFF will then work with Aurora to prioritize any lead compounds identified through this screening process. Once lead compounds have been selected, Aurora and CFF could expand the collaboration to cooperate on a program for further development, funded by CFF.
"The Foundation's partnership with Aurora opens exciting new doors to apply state-of-the-art technology to the discovery of novel therapies for the control and cure of cystic fibrosis," says Robert J. Beall, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. "This represents the dawning of a new era in the ability of cystic fibrosis scientists to accelerate the identification and development of new therapeutics. Success, of course will be measured by the ultimate benefit these compounds have for individuals battling this disease," he continues. "Aurora will increase our odds of achieving this by exponential proportions."
Cystic fibrosis is the most common fatal genetic disease in this country among Caucasians, and is caused by a defective gene that is important to cells lining the airways and the digestive tract. When defective, the CF gene creates a dangerously thick sticky mucus that leads to chronic and eventually fatal lung infections, and interferes with digestion. Although there is no cure, Foundation-supported researchers are quickly translating what they learn about the CF gene and CF cells in the laboratory into promising new treatments. See www.cff.org for more information.
Aurora combines innovative biotechnology with its novel, high-technology automation and software to provide solutions to challenges in drug discovery for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The Company's core technologies include a broad portfolio of proprietary fluorescence assay technologies; its functional genomics GenomeScreen(TM) program; and its ultra- high throughput screening system (UHTSS(TM) Platform) and subsystems to miniaturize and automate assays derived from those technologies within a computer-controlled integrated system, capable of searching through expansive libraries of compounds to identify those that might lead to new medicines. Aurora seeks to become a leader in providing services, technology and information that enhance and accelerate its customers' ability to discover new therapeutics through three main strategies: (1) providing customized drug discovery services, allowing the customer to outsource some part or all of its discovery needs, (2) developing and selling systems, instruments and technologies to augment the customer's own discovery efforts, and (3) licensing the Company's growing intellectual property portfolio. Current customers include Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Eli Lilly and Company, Warner-Lambert, Merck & Co., Pfizer, Inc., Pharmacia & Upjohn, Inc., F.Hoffmann-LaRoche Ltd., Becton Dickinson, Cytovia, Inc. and Clontech Laboratories, Inc.
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are "forward-looking" statements which involve a high degree of technological and competitive risks and uncertainties that exist in the Company's operations and business environment. Such statements are only predictions and the Company's actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to differences include risks associated with the Company's ability to develop assays for CF or to identify potential leads through the use of such assays, new and uncertain technology, dependence on patents and proprietary rights and dependence on pharmaceutical and biotechnology. These factors and others are more fully described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1998, and subsequent Form 10-Q's as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For additional corporate information, visit the Aurora website at aurorabio.com.
UHTSS(TM) and GenomeScreen(TM) are trademarks of Aurora Biosciences Corporation.
SOURCE: Aurora Biosciences Corporation
CONTACT: Angela Hartley, Director, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations of Aurora Biosciences Corporation, 619-404-6767, fax: 619-404-6714, hartleya@aurorabio.com |
