Aurora Biosciences Awarded Phase II SBIR Grant for Human CellFunctional Genomics and Drug Discovery
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SAN DIEGO, July 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Aurora Biosciences Corporation (Nasdaq: ABSC) today announced that it has received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant for $1,350,000 from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to expand a project on the identification of novel immunomodulatory agents using its proprietary GenomeScreen(TM) technology and drug discovery expertise.
The successful completion of the Phase I program demonstrated that GenomeScreen(TM) can be used simultaneously to identify genes, both known and novel, as candidate drug targets and to generate cell-based assays amenable to high and ultra-high throughput screening. The goal of the Phase II grant is to identify drug leads that are able to modulate human T lymphocytes for therapeutic benefit in indications such as autoimmune disease, organ transplantation and cancer. The project will involve a more thorough examination of immune stimulation in T lymphocytes and the identification of novel drug targets that modulate this process. Aurora will perform screening on its ultra-high throughput screening system, the UHTSS(TM) Platform, and use its own compound library of over 400,000 compounds. The Phase II grant is expected to run for three years.
"Aurora's ability to replicate human cell biology in a microtiter plate for drug discovery is one of our key strengths," said David A. Nelson, Ph.D., a scientist at Aurora and principal investigator. "This grant will allow us to demonstrate how GenomeScreen extends these capabilities by identifying genes associated with therapeutically relevant processes while simultaneously producing physiological assays compatible with ultra-high throughput drug screening. We expect the compounds identified in the screens to produce novel insights into T-cell function."
Aurora designs, develops and commercializes advanced drug discovery technologies, services and systems 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 derived from those technologies. Aurora technologies have been commercially validated by over 15 major life sciences companies and research organizations, including American Home Products, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Eli Lilly & Co., Glaxo Wellcome, Genentech, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Inc., NV Organon Laboratories, Pfizer, Inc., and Warner-Lambert Company, in the form of commercialization agreements for discovery services, licenses or systems. 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 technological and competitive risks and uncertainties that exist in the Company's operations and business environment. Such statements, including statements concerning the potential benefits of GenomeScreen technology, 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 the Company's ability to further commercialize the GenomeScreen technology, risks associated with the Company's new and uncertain technology, dependence on patents and proprietary rights, dependence on pharmaceutical and biotechnology collaborations, and the development or availability of competing technology. These factors and others are more fully described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1999, and subsequent Forms 10-Q, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For additional corporate information, visit the Aurora website at aurorabiosciences.com.
GeneBLAzer(TM), GenomeScreen(TM), UHTSS(TM) and VIPR(TM) are trademarks of Aurora Biosciences Corporation.
SOURCE Aurora Biosciences Corporation
CO: Aurora Biosciences Corporation; National Cancer Institute
ST: California
IN: HEA BIO MTC
SU: FNC
07/24/2000 06:01 EDT prnewswire.com |
