Aurora Biosciences Announces Publication in Nature
Biotechnology of Genome-Wide Screening in Living Mammalian
Cells
December 10, 1998
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 9 /PRNewswire/ via NewsEdge Corporation -- Aurora Biosciences Corporation
(Nasdaq: ABSC) today announced the publication in Nature Biotechnology, Vol. 16, Number 13,
December 1998, biotech.nature.com of the cover article entitled "A Genome-Wide
Functional Assay of Signal Transduction in Living Mammalian Cells." The report describes a
functional genomics technology developed by Aurora scientists. In addition to the senior author,
Paul A. Negulescu, Ph.D., Aurora's director, cell biology, Aurora authors include Mike Whitney,
Ph.D., Tom Knapp, Gregor Zlokarnik, Ph.D., Pam Sanders, and Kyle Durick, Ph.D.
The report describes a genome-wide assay for the rapid isolation of live cell clones and genes
responsive to specific stimuli, such as growth factors, hormones, drugs or viruses. Aurora has filed
numerous patent applications relating to compositions and methods for implementing this
technology. The technology relies, in part, on Aurora's proprietary beta-lactamase reporter gene
system that provides a highly sensitive fluorescent read-out of gene expression in single living
mammalian cells as previously described in Science, Vol. 279, January 2, 1998.
In the Nature Biotechnology report, Aurora scientists used a novel gene-trapping technique in a
human T-lymphocyte cell line to generate a " living library" of cells in which a large number of
genes were tagged by integration of the beta-lactamase reporter. The cells were then activated
with a variety of agents, and individual clones, with reporter-tagged genes that were either induced
or repressed, were isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. While the present report
describes work isolating tagged clones from a human T-cell line, this novel approach has
application to almost any propagating cell line in response to a wide range of stimuli of
therapeutic and scientific interest.
"Clones of cells that are identified using this GenomeScreen(TM) process can be rapidly grown and
used for gene discovery, elucidation of signaling pathways, and the rapid generation of cellular
assays for high-throughput screening and compound profiling," said Kleanthis Xanthopoulos, Ph.D.,
Aurora's director, molecular biology and genomics. "This technology will add considerable
capability to Aurora's portfolio of drug discovery technologies and is compatible with Aurora's
miniaturized Ultra-high Throughput Screening platform. We are pleased that the significance of
our work was underscored by the display of our technology on the front cover of Nature
Biotechnology, and the inclusion of an analysis in the Research News section. "
Aurora designs and develops proprietary drug discovery systems, services and technologies to
accelerate and enhance the discovery of new medicines. Aurora is developing an integrated
technology platform comprised of a portfolio of proprietary fluorescent assay technologies and an
UHTSS(TM) platform designed to allow assay miniaturization and to overcome many of the
limitations associated with the traditional drug discovery process. The Company believes that the
UHTSS(TM) platform will enable Aurora and its collaborators to take advantage of the opportunities
created by recent advances in genomics and combinatorial chemistry that have generated many
new therapeutic targets and an abundance of new, small molecule compounds. Current
collaborators include Merck & Co., Inc., Warner-Lambert, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Eli Lilly and
Company, Roche Bioscience, Allelix Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., and Cytovia, Inc.
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are " forward-looking" statements
which involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty. Such forward-looking statements include
statements regarding future applications of Aurora's technology. 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 risks
involved with the Company's new and uncertain technology, risks associated with the dependence
on patents and proprietary rights, the ability to attract additional collaborative partners,
dependence on existing pharmaceutical and biotechnology collaborations, and the development
or availability of competing systems. These factors and others are more fully described in the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1997 and
subsequent Forms 10-Q, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For additional
corporate information, visit the Aurora website at aurorabio.com.
SOURCE Aurora Biosciences Corporation
/CONTACT: Angela Hartley, Director, Corporate Communications and Investor
Relations of Aurora Biosciences Corporation, 619-404-6767, Fax: 619-404-6714,
hartleya@aurorabio.com/
/Web site: biotech.nature.com
/Web site: aurorabio.com
(ABSC)
[Copyright 1998, PR Newswire] |
