Incyte and Johnson & Johnson Enter into Microbial Genomic Database Partnership
PALO ALTO, Calif., March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Incyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: INCY - news) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to provide Johnson & Johnson
(NYSE: JNJ - news) with access to Incyte's PathoSeq(TM) microbial genome database in exchange for annual access fees. This agreement represents an expansion of the original
agreement, signed in January 1996, which provides Johnson & Johnson access to Incyte's LifeSeq(R) human gene sequence and expression database. Incyte could receive future
royalties on sales of products developed with Incyte technology and database information. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
With the addition of Johnson & Johnson, seven of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies are applying the PathoSeq(TM) database to their infectious disease programs. The
PathoSeq(TM) database, launched in December 1996, currently contains genomic information from over 30 bacterial and fungal microorganisms integrated into Incyte's powerful
bioinformatics software. This includes 2.5 fold sequencing coverage of the 17 megabase Candida albicans genome which has become the most important opportunistic fungal pathogen of
humans affecting millions worldwide. Incyte intends to increase its depth of coverage of the Candida albicans genome approximately two fold in 1998. Incyte believes knowledge of the
genomic sequence of the Candida albicans genome as well as other medically relevant microbial genomes contained in the PathoSeq(TM) database will assist scientists in their
understanding of microbial genomics and in the development of novel anti-infectives to treat and prevent infectious disease.
Incyte is currently designing microarrays containing microbial gene sequences from the PathoSeq(TM) database to assist scientists with the genome- wide analysis of gene expression in
microbial organisms. As a result, PathoSeq(TM) database collaborators now have the option to participate in Incyte's microbial microarray program. The first microarrays under
development include the CandidaGEM(TM), which will contain all of the approximately 6,500 genes identified from Incyte's sequencing of the Candida albicans genome, and the
AureusGEM(TM), which will contain all the genes from the Staphylococcus aureus genome. These programs are designed to facilitate both the investigation of host response to infection
as well as to understand gene pathways in pathogens. In addition, Incyte intends to create databases using microarrays which contain information on time course and dose response
studies of anti-microbial compounds.
Incyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a leading provider of an integrated platform of genomic technologies designed to aid in the understanding of the molecular basis of disease. Incyteis
platform includes database products, genomic data management software tools, and related reagents and services which Incyte provides to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology
industries to assist their drug discovery and development efforts. Incyte employs over 650 people located at its headquarters in Palo Alto, California, and operations in Fremont,
California, St. Louis, Missouri and Cambridge, UK. For more information visit Incyteis web site at www.incyte.com.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including statements as to the receipt of potential royalties, the timing and depth of
sequencing coverage of Candida albicans, the ability microbial genomic information to aid in developing anti- infective products, the ability of microbial microarrays to assist in the
investigation of host response and gene pathways, and the time table for development of microarray-based products, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the ''safe
harbor'' provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ
materially, including, the utilization of the PathoSeq(TM) database and microarray-based products by pharmaceutical researchers, the ability to successfully implement microarray
technologies, the impact of alternative technological advances and competition; and other risks detailed from time to time in Incyte's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 1996. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Incyte disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking
statements
SOURCE: Incyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
