Thursday June 14, 8:32 am Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: 3-Dimensional Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
3DP Receives $1 Million Phase II SBIR Grant from
NIH
- Supports Continuing Research to Crystallize GPCRs and Determine
Their Structures -
- Recognizes 3DP Success in Achieving Key Internal Milestones -
EXTON, Pa., June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- 3-Dimensional Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:
DDDP - news) announced today that the National Institutes of Health has awarded the
Company a 2-year Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Grant totaling
nearly $1 million. The grant is the latest of several grants 3DP has received to support
continuing research to crystallize and determine high-resolution 3D structures of G-protein
coupled receptors (GPCRs).
GPCRs constitute the largest family of cell-surface receptors and play an essential role in
cellular signaling, control and communication. Drugs that target GPCRs generate more than
$20 billion in annual sales in diverse major therapeutic categories. Yet, the pharmaceutical
industry has been unable to obtain 3D GPCR X-ray structures that provide a direct view of
the drug binding site.
``This grant provides important validation of the progress our scientists have made toward
achieving high-quality crystals and determining full 3D structures of GPCRs,'' said David C.
U'Prichard, Chief Executive Officer. ``Fewer than 100 GPCRs are targeted by currently
available drugs. Genomic research has identified at least 600 previously unknown GPCRs
that appear to have high potential as drug targets. Although we continue to view our GPCR
research as an early-stage program, the opportunity for the Company that succeeds in this
area would be enormous.'' Dr. U'Prichard noted that 3DP is expanding its GPCR effort in
2001.
``Successful crystallization and determination of high-resolution structures of GPCRs would
lead to important new drugs in virtually all therapeutic categories. It would constitute a major
scientific breakthrough and a significant advance in drug discovery technology,'' said F. Raymond Salemme, Ph.D., President
and Chief Scientific Officer. ``We are proud of the work of our GPCR team and gratified by the recognition provided by this
grant to their efforts.''
The new SBIR grant supports the extension of efforts originally funded by a three-year, $2 million Advanced Technology
Program Award received in 1995 from the U. S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology,
and subsequently funded by previous SBIR grants awarded in 1999 and 2000.
``We will use this grant to apply 3DP's strengths in protein engineering, physical biochemistry and X-ray crystallography to the
difficult task of achieving diffraction-quality crystals and ultimately, we believe, to completing 3D structures of important GPCR
drug targets,'' said Barry A. Springer, Ph.D., Senior Director of Biochemistry and Biophysics for 3DP, and principal
investigator on the grant.
3-Dimensional Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ( 3dp.com ) is a post-genomics drug discovery company dedicated to
revolutionizing small-molecule discovery. 3DP has developed and integrated a set of proprietary technologies called
DiscoverWorks(TM), which accelerates and improves the drug discovery process and capitalizes on opportunities arising from
human genome sequencing. 3DP technologies can be applied to virtually any disease target, and can produce compounds
suitable for drug development in a more timely and cost-effective manner and with a higher probability of success than
conventional methods. 3DP is using its technologies both to assist collaborators in discovering drug candidates, and to discover
and develop its own drug candidates.
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are ``forward-looking'' statements that involve a high degree of risk
and uncertainty. 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, but are not limited
to, risks associated with our new and uncertain technologies, clinical trials and product development, the long and arduous
process of obtaining regulatory approvals, our dependence on existing strategic alliances, our dependence on patents and
proprietary rights, our ability to protect and enforce our patents and proprietary rights, the development and availability of
competitive products or technologies and our ability to attract and retain talented employees and to manage our expansion.
These risks and uncertainties are discussed in the section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission entitled ``Factors Affecting the Company's Prospects.''
SOURCE: 3-Dimensional Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
