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Biotech / Medical : Incyte (INCY) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Starks who wrote (898)	3/9/1999 12:18:00 AM
From: chirodoc	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3202

The technology that could bring Incy down...... comments anyone??????? by: Werper 802 of 805 Axcell Biosciences (CYTOGEN, CYTO) Axcell has developed an integrated set of tools to selectively map proteomic interactions. These tools are being applied both to identify and examine the molecular components of protein networks. GDL trademark technology provides the ability to identify ligands,also called Recognition Units (RUs), from large peptide libraries,which are specific for a selected molecular interaction. A distinguishing and proprietary feature of this approach is that it involves the creation and use of long protein-like peptides that have the potential to assume secondary and higher order structures. These ligands can then be used to functionally map protein interaction networks relevant to important diseases. In addition, these genetic diversity libraries can be used to map interactive sites on target proteins. COLT(trademark) technology makes use of these specific RUs and enables the identification of entire families of proteins interacting with these RUs in a simple and rapid fashion. The ability to identify the two interacting components of a network (i.e., protein and RU) enables the biological function mapping of protein interactions. This approach leads to the identification and validation of novel pharmaceutical targets. In addition, the recombinant gene products and cognate RUs that are identified can be readily formatted into noncellular high-throughput screens. Thus, using AxCell's proprietary platform technologies, which enables a direct approach to proteomic analysis, it is possible to elucidate functional protein interactions as well as to identify optimal molecular targets for a specific disease. For example, the approach can take, as a starting point, a protein linked to prostate cancer. One can then identify and validate interactor proteins (upstream or downstream) that may be superior pharmaceutical targets. These new targets can in turn be the branch-points to identifying additional proteins. AxCell's IFP-DBASE (trademark) As a powerful adjunct to existing drug discovery tools, AxCell has developed the Inter-Functional Proteomic Database (IFP-dBase {trademark}). The data generated by the systematic application of AxCell's GDL (trademark) and COLT (trademark) technologies are directly incorporated into the IFP-dBase (trademark). The IFP-dBase (trademark) includes data relating target proteins, functional domains, and RUs, linked to a variety of other bioinformatic data relevant to each specific component. The unique value of this informational database lies in its direct use by scientists as a powerful target validation tool. In addition, the IFP-dBase (trademark) impacts several other distinct aspects of the drug discovery process--including protein network discovery, lead/drug optimization, HTS screening and Structure Activity Relations (SAR) of both the RUs and the interactor domains. AxCell's first generation database includes a large number of modular domains, along with their corresponding RU's that have been identified based on functional affinity. These include a variety of domains that have relevance in important diseases (e.g., cancer, metabolic diseases). The database also includes qualitative and quantitative information concerning the interactions of the modular domains with specific RUs. Work to date confirms the combined power of AxCell's technologies to identify and validate drug targets. In particular, this approach has led to important functional insights for several human diseases (e.g., Liddle's Syndrome, stroke).