MECHELEN, Belgium, June 12, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Galapagos Genomics NV, the Belgian functional genomics company, today announced a research collaboration with Bayer Yakuhin to identify the function of proteins encoded by newly discovered genes involved in asthma.
Under the terms of the agreement, Bayer will provide to Galapagos a proprietary collection of human genes associated with asthma. Galapagos will construct recombinant adenoviruses containing these asthma related genes using its PhenoSelect(r) expression platform. Bayer will use the collection of viruses to introduce and express these genes in human cells and to evaluate the function of the proteins encoded by the genes. This collaboration is a follow-up on a feasibility study in which Galapagos demonstrated that their recombinant adenovirus can efficiently transfer and express human genes into specific human cells provided by Bayer that are relevant for the validation of the asthma gene set collection. Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.
``This is Galapagos' first collaboration with a top tier pharmaceutical company and it is therefore an important milestone for the Company,'' said Onno van de Stolpe, CEO of Galapagos. ``We are pleased to contribute to Bayer's selection of viable drug targets in its asthma program. This collaboration is an endorsement of our platform as an important tool in the rapid identification and validation of drug targets out of large gene collections.''
Galapagos Genomics is a privately held company headquartered in Mechelen, Belgium. The Company was established in 1999 as a joint venture between Crucell NV (Nasdaq:CRXL - news; Leiden, The Netherlands), and Tibotec-Virco NV (Mechelen, Belgium). The Company has built a functional genomics platform using arrayed adenoviruses containing human genes to identify drug targets and therapeutic genes. Galapagos technology is based on the patented PER.C6TM human cell line expression platform. Galapagos has an exclusive license to use PER.C6 for functional genomics applications. It's PhenoSelect libraries are in a format that enable high-throughput screening using cellular assays. The Company currently employs 65 people, including 17 PhD's, and occupies a 15,000 sq. foot research and production facility in Mechelen, with additional research laboratories in Leiden, The Netherlands. For more information, visit Galapagos' web site at www.galapagosgenomics.com. |
