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Biotech / Medical : AXYS Pharmaceuticals Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mike McFarland who wrote (454)	4/30/2001 9:13:54 AM
From: nigel bates	Respond to of 455

April 30, 2001--Axys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AXPH - news) today announced that the company had received an additional research milestone payment from Aventis (NYSE:AVE - news). The achievement represents the third in a series of research milestone criteria that precede selection of individual Cathepsin S inhibitors for development as drugs for inflammation and autoimmune disease, including rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, atherosclerosis, COPD and multiple sclerosis. The most recent work was conducted as part of a recent extension of the collaboration by Aventis. During the next year, Axys believes Aventis will explore multiple indications for the compounds generated by the research phase. The Axys collaboration with Aventis (formerly Rhone-Poulenc Rorer) was initiated in late 1998. The most recent milestone payment recognizes successful completion of a pivotal in vivo proof-of-concept study designed to confirm the utility of Cathepsin S inhibitors for further development activities in various potential therapeutic indications. The results of this study confirmed the proposed mechanism of action for inhibitors of Cathepsin S after oral administration of a test compound. Cathepsin S is a member of a large family of cysteine proteases, enzymes that are responsible for the cleavage and breakdown of other natural proteins in normal biological processes. In disease conditions, cysteine proteases can often be misregulated, providing an entry point for drug intervention. Cathepsin S has been highly associated with the processing and activation of the antigen receptor called MHC-II, essential for the initiation of both normal and pathological immune responses mediated by T-cells. Drugs to inhibit this enzyme could provide a novel method for control of antigen-induced response in multiple inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. In the collaboration with Aventis, Axys has utilized its structure-based drug design technology platform, including X-ray crystallography and medicinal chemistry, to provide a novel series of potent and selective Cathepsin S inhibitors to Aventis for pharmacological evaluation and eventual development...