Aurora Biosciences Announces Genomics and AutomatedInstrumentation Enhancement Programs with Merck & Co.Inc.
SAN DIEGO, April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Aurora Biosciences Corporation (Nasdaq: ABSC) today announced that Merck & Co., Inc. has expanded its original collaborative and licensing agreement with Aurora via two amendments. The first amendment provides for additional assay development and screening by Aurora of a group of G protein-coupled receptors ("GPCRs") isolated by Merck under the agreement. The second amendment involves Aurora's development of instrumentation and implementation of software enhancements to Aurora's ultra-high throughput screening system, the UHTSS(TM) Platform, to expand its planned functionality.
The focus of the amended assay development program will be to develop functional cell-based assays using Aurora's GeneBLAzer(TM) technology and promiscuous G protein technology for a number of GPCRs identified by Merck and to screen compound libraries provided by Merck to identify "hit" molecules. The molecules will be used to validate particular GPCRs as drug targets, and may also serve as lead compounds for drug discovery chemistry efforts. Aurora could receive research and development milestones, as well as royalties, on compounds identified by screens generated through the collaboration, consistent with the terms of the original agreement. Other financial terms of this amendment were not disclosed.
The second amendment entails modifications to the UHTSS instrumentation and software that will enable the use of 1536-well assay plates in addition to the standard Aurora 3,456-well NanoWell(TM) Assay Plate. This is intended to increase the flexibility of the UHTSS Platform and improve its ability to format assay plates for different types of signals, formats and detectors. Financial terms of the second amendment also were not disclosed.
"These additional programs reflect Aurora's ability to continue providing technology and services that meet the demanding needs of partners such as Merck & Co., Inc.," stated Harry Stylli, Ph.D., Aurora's senior vice president, commercial development.
Aurora designs, develops and commercializes advanced drug discovery technologies, services and instrumentation to accelerate the discovery of new medicines. The Company's core technologies include a broad portfolio of proprietary fluorescence assay technologies, including its GeneBLAzer(TM) and VIPR(TM) technologies; its functional genomics GenomeScreen(TM) program; its automated master compound store, the AMCS, and its ultra-high throughput screening system (UHTSS(TM) Platform) and subsystems to miniaturize and automate drug screening and profiling assays. Aurora's technologies have been commercially validated by over 15 major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including American Home Products, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Glaxo Wellcome, Genentech, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Pfizer, Inc., and Warner Lambert Company, in the form of commercialization agreements for discovery services, licenses or instrumentation. For additional information on Aurora's services and products, please contact Sales and Marketing via email at marcom@aurorabio.com.
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are "forward-looking" statements which involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding the potential use of Aurora's GeneBLAzer technology, the ability of Aurora to develop and deliver screens and perform screening services and develop instruments and software enhancements as required under the amendment to the original collaboration, development of subsystems and instruments and future performance of UHTSS modules. Such statements are only predictions and the 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 involved with the Company's new and uncertain technology, including Aurora's ability to complete the manufacture and delivery of any portion of the UHTSS to Merck & Co., Inc., risks associated with the dependence on patents and proprietary rights, the ability to attract additional collaborative partners, dependence on existing pharmaceutical and biotechnology collaborations, and the development or availability of competing systems. These factors and others are more fully described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K as amended for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1999. For additional corporate information, visit the Aurora website at aurorabio.com.
GeneBLAzer(TM), GenomeScreen(TM), NanoWell(TM) and UHTSS(TM) are trademarks of Aurora Biosciences Corporation
SOURCE Aurora Biosciences Corporation
CO: Aurora Biosciences Corporation; Merck & Co.
ST: California
IN: HEA MTC BIO
SU: LIC
04/10/2000 16:00 EDT prnewswire.com |
