Incyte Gains Exclusive Access to Unique Cell Line From Amphioxus For the Creation of Expression
Databases
PALO ALTO, Calif. and HOUSTON, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Incyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: INCY - news), a leading provider of genomic information, and Amphioxus Cell Technologies, Inc., a leader in liver biology, announced today that Incyte has been granted exclusive access to Amphioxus' unique, patented C3A cloned human liver cell line for the creation of gene expression databases, and a co-marketing arrangement for the distribution and licensing of the cell line. Financial terms were not disclosed.
"Understanding the molecular effects of drugs on the liver system is a key goal within our LifeExpress expression program," said Randy Scott, Ph.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer of Incyte. "The unique properties of theC3A cell line make it an excellent system for studying drug toxicology. The Master Cell Bank that Amphioxus has created will aid us in the creation of expression information because it will allow us to easily replicate experiments and consistently produce reliable results."
C3A is a unique cloned liver cell line that simulates normal human liver responses to stimuli, including drugs and stress. These responses include the expression of human liver enzymes involved in drug metabolism, such as cytochrome P450s, as well as other genes involved in liver function such as cell growth and energy utilization. Every cell in the C3A population is genetically identical, allowing scientists to reliably duplicate experiments, which is essential in creating gene expression databases. Using C3A cells, which are stored in a Master Cell Bank, scientists can screen for drug metabolism and toxicity by measuring gene expression.
"This is an outstanding opportunity for both companies," said Jim Kelly, Ph.D., President of Amphioxus. "The liver is the most important organ in drug metabolism and is frequently the target of drug toxicity. This collaboration will allow researchers to examine the molecular basis of drug metabolism and toxicity. They will then be able to design better compounds and test them in cell culture before they are tried in people. In addition, the combination of the Amphioxus cell line and the Incyte database is helping to confirm new drug targets in areas like diabetes, obesity, lipid metabolism, and cancer."
LifeExpress(TM), Incyte's expression database, is the first commercially available gene expression database to combine both gene and protein expression data. Expression data from human and animal model systems are combined to provide researchers with an understanding of gene function in disease and drug metabolism. The LifeExpress product suite consists of two databases. The TargetExpress(TM) database aids researchers in target discovery, helping them to better identify potential drug targets while the LeadExpress(TM) database enables researchers to optimize the best drug candidates for development.
Amphioxus Cell Technologies, Inc. is a leader in the field of liver biology with interests ranging from basic liver biology to drug disposition, viral hepatitis, plasma proteins, and liver support. Amphioxus has developed a drug discovery platform, ACTIVTox(TM) based on a proprietary human liver cell line which faithfully reproduces normal hepatocyte function. ACTIVTox(TM) provides a unified human liver system that is useful in drug discovery, potency ranking, toxicity testing and metabolic profiling, all in the same basic assay. For more information please visit Amphioxus' web site at ww.amphioxus.com.
Incyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a leading provider of an integrated platform of genomic technologies designed to aid in the understanding of the molecular basis of disease. Incyte develops and markets genomic databases, genomic data management software, microarray-based gene expression services, and related reagents and services. These products and services assist pharmaceutical and biotechnology researchers with all phases of drug discovery and development including gene discovery, understanding disease pathways, identifying new disease targets and the discovery and correlation of gene sequence variation to disease. For more information, visit Incyte's web site at www.incyte.com.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. For a discussion of factors that may cause results to differ, see Incyte's SEC reports, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 1999. Incyte disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
SOURCE: Incyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
