May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- NeuralStem BioPharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced the completion of a series of agreements with Gene Logic, Inc. (Nasdaq: GLGC - news) encompassing three components:
1) GLGC has licensed NeuralStem's proprietary, patented human central
nervous system (CNS) stem cell technology for gene expression analysis
and inclusion in GLGC's GeneExpress(TM) database;
2) NeuralStem has purchased a module of the GeneExpress(TM) database; and
3) GLGC has made an equity investment in NeuralStem.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
NeuralStem's CNS stem cells encompass nerve cells of all the types present in the human brain at all stages of development, ranging from early-stage stem cells to fully differentiated, functional adult neurons. The GeneExpress(TM) database includes a large reference set of information on how genes are expressed in a broad range of tissues, including normal and diseased human and animal tissues.
Gene Logic will use its gene expression and bioinformatics technologies to measure, for the first time, the normal changes in gene expression that occur as human neurons develop, changes in experimental models of CNS diseases, and the changes that result from exposure to a wide variety of known CNS drugs and toxins. The resulting data will enable users of the GeneExpress(TM) database to identify the pathways associated with major illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, psychiatric disorders, and stroke; and to predict the therapeutic impact and toxicological potential of new drugs. This high-value information will be included in the GeneExpress(TM) database and made available to all its commercial users. In addition, NeuralStem's human CNS stem cell lines will be made available to Gene Logic customers for proprietary discovery efforts and follow-on screening.
``We are pleased to begin our partnership with Gene Logic, the clear industry leader in the important field of gene function determination,'' said I. Richard Garr, President and CEO of NeuralStem. ``Gene Logic's decision to make information developed from our patented technology available to its customers worldwide through GeneExpress(TM), along with its investment in our Company, is further validation of the significance of NeuralStem's platform technology. We are confident that the unique combination of information and capabilities created by this partnership will create a new standard for genomic target identification, validation, and screening in the CNS drug discovery industry.''
``We are very pleased to be adding NeuralStem's highly characterized neural stem cells for gene expression analysis and inclusion in the GeneExpress(TM) database,'' said Michael J. Brennan, Chairman and CEO of Gene Logic. ``We believe this is incredibly valuable data that will further enrich the high-quality information already contained in the database. We expect our current and prospective commercial customers to find this data of vital importance.''
NeuralStem BioPharmaceuticals, Ltd. is a privately held company commercializing proprietary, patented central nervous system (CNS) stem cell technology and human neurons derived from their CNS stem cells as powerful new therapeutics and research tools for drug discovery. In addition to applying the technology to accelerate the discovery of CNS-related genes and their function, NeuralStem is developing a new generation of biotherapeutic products to treat and cure neurodegenerative and neurological disorders of the brain and spinal cord, such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, and epilepsy. |
