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Biotech / Medical : Ligand (LGND) Breakout! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: bob zagorin who wrote (17611)	3/18/1998 1:57:00 PM
From: Biotech Jim	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 32384

Genomics companies are starting to realize that there are sufficient targets to go after. It is the combichem approaches and medicinal chemists that are in high demand. Ask any company out there if they would like to offer a job to a good chemist. They would pay you a significant retainer if you could supply chemists. See also my previous comments on the MLNM thread related to pharmacogenomics. As to ISIP, they may market an antisense oligo for CMV retinitis, but when one realizes that its mechanism of action is different from that related to antisense inhibition, then one wonders whether antisense approaches will ever be realized. Ask any academic about their experiences with antisense. They will not be enthusiastic, and for reasons other than oligo stability. BJ

To: bob zagorin who wrote (17611)	3/18/1998 2:21:00 PM
From: Henry Niman	Respond to of 32384

bob, As BJ indicated, there are lots of known targets. In LGND's case, there are also lots of active molecules which can be easily and cheaply modified. Identifying a new gene through genomics is in some sense a step backward from the development standpoint. LGND uses targeted drug discovery. They know that the hormones and analogs that bind to IRs are important. For the retinoids, there were already 6 known receptors. These receptors were used to screen a library of retinoid analogs. LGND and AGN medicinal chemists created thousands of compounds and came up with dozens of drugs worthy of preclinical trials. LGND already has over 100 targets, which is far more than they can presently develop. That's why they have alliances with over 20% of the pharmaceutical industry, and their partners know more capital is required. The Genomic companies discovery genes that can then be targeted, so the drug discovery starts at an earlier stage.