Tuesday April 2, 7:01 am Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: Axiom Biotechnologies Inc.
UCB and Axiom Extend Collaboration in Drug Discovery
UCB S.A. (Pharma Sector) and Axiom Biotechnologies Inc. Have Extended Their Collaboration to Discover New Drugs for The Treatment of Allergic Diseases and Asthma
SAN DIEGO--(BW HealthWire)--April 2, 2002-- Axiom Biotechnologies Inc. announced that it is extending its collaboration with the UCB S.A. (Pharma Sector) to discover new drugs for the treatment of allergic diseases and asthma. Axiom is using its proprietary physiogenomics approach in this collaboration to characterize particular types of cellular receptors that are of interest for UCB's programs, and to find drug candidates active at these receptors. ``UCB has been an excellent drug discovery partner, and we look forward to continuing the relationship,'' stated Pandi Veerapandian, Axiom's CEO. ``This Agreement is consistent with our goal of using our unique approach in strategic partnerships with leading drug discovery companies.''
Dr. Roy Massingham, UCB's Head of Research (Europe), said ``We are very pleased to be working with the Axiom team and to formalize the initial collaboration which has been running for the past year. Access to Axiom's technologies and their human cell bank will provide UCB with high content information on our compounds at a very early stage. Our initial focus will be on GPCR targets identified from other approaches. The integrated technology platform will provide both rapid screening and profiling and/or in depth characterization of related compounds on signaling cascades based on cellular assays.''
The two companies had already been working together under a bridging agreement. The financial terms of the new agreement include an upfront payment, research support, milestone payments, and bonuses, although the amounts of each were not disclosed. The one-year contract is extendable for a second year.
About UCB:
UCB is a world scale pharmaceutical and chemical group which is active in three industrial sectors: the Pharma sector, the Chemical sector and the Film sector. The aims of the Pharma sector are the research, production and marketing of medical products on prescription, covering the fields of the immuno-allergy and the central nervous system.
About Axiom:
Axiom Biotechnologies is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on the more rapid production of drugs that are more effective and safer, through the application of its proprietary physiogenomics approach. This approach incorporates Axiom's Human Cell Bank, a large collection of pharmacologically and genetically characterized human cells, as well as proprietary cell assay technologies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
Axiom Biotechnologies Inc.
Pandi Veerapandian, President & CEO /
Michael Kozlowski, Chief Operating Officer
858/455-4500
www.axiombio.com
or
UCB's Head Research Europe
Roy Massingham, 32 2 386 25 15
or
UCB's Head in Vitro Pharmacology
Pierre Chatelain, 32 2 386 26 00 |
