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Biotech / Medical : 3-DIMENSIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS (DDDP) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: scaram(o)uche who wrote (12)	6/12/2001 6:05:09 PM
From: nigel bates	Respond to of 146

EXTON, Pa., June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- 3-Dimensional Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: DDDP - news) today announced the issuance of its third and fourth patents (U.S. Patents No. 6,214,293 and No. 6,232,085) covering a rapid and broadly applicable method and apparatus for obtaining quantitative measurements of drug-binding affinity to virtually any protein or nucleic acid target -- a technology the company has named ThermoFluor®. ``There is no greater need for pharmaceutical companies in the post-genome era than knowing as quickly as possible which target proteins are amenable to small molecule drug discovery,'' said David C. U'Prichard, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer. ``Our ThermoFluor® technology is well equipped to meet that need. It is a uniquely versatile 'any target' assay that provides a way to screen active compounds for the thousands of new biological targets derived from genomic research, regardless of whether their biological function is understood. This allows scientists to bypass the traditional bottleneck of target validation and customized high-throughput screen development, and get straight into chemistry -- straight into the discovery of potential drug candidates for that target. In the process, months of time may be saved. The two patents announced today are important additions to 3DP's growing intellectual property portfolio.'' F. Raymond Salemme, Ph.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer, added that ``ThermoFluor® can be used for both initial hit screening and lead optimization, thus reducing the cost and complexity of assay development and biological testing. It can also be used to quickly interrogate the functional classification of a new and unvalidated target protein, a process 3DP refers to as 'target decryption.''' Dr. Salemme noted that ThermoFluor® is currently used in a 384-well automated workstation format, with integrated data processing and database connectivity. He noted that ThermoFluor's flexible workstation format allows its use both in central screening facilities and as a distributed capability for individual proteomics and drug discovery research groups. ThermoFluor® was developed by a team of 3DP scientists. Inventors named in Patent No. 6,214,293 include Michael W. Pantoliano, Ph.D., Roger F. Bone, Ph.D., Alexander W. Rhind and F. Raymond Salemme, Ph.D. Inventors named in Patent No. 6,232,085 include Dr. Pantoliano, Gene C. Petrella, Ph.D., Dr. Salemme, and Barry A. Springer, Ph.D....

To: scaram(o)uche who wrote (12)	6/14/2001 10:05:57 AM
From: scaram(o)uche	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 146

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.