Bio Screening Industry News

iThemba Pharmaceuticals’ service division and Pyxis Discovery announced today that they have signed a collaborative agreement to jointly market both companies’ services.
Pyxis’s world class computational chemistry and lead discovery expertise will be coupled with iThemba’s service division to provide medicinal and synthetic chemistry support to projects identified through Pyxis’ international client network. iThemba Pharmaceuticals and Pyxis Discovery also announced today that they are entering into a co-marketing agreement to offer virtual libraries which will be exclusively synthesized for clients. Pyxis’s smart approach of designing and selecting compounds facilitates a rapid and efficient lead discovery and library design process and this coupled to iThemba’s expertise in synthetic and medicinal chemistry will provide our customers with a unique service offering opportunity.
“The intellectual and technological support from Pyxis will enhance both of our service offerings,” said Chris Edlin, CSO of iThemba. “Our customers will gain the advantage of our coupled expertise in design, synthesis and medicinal chemistry prowess.”
“Combining the outstanding medicinal chemistry expertise of iThemba with our design approach helps us to provide our clients with a more complete set of services, resulting in swiftly progressing lead discovery and optimization projects.” said Ron van der Valk, Managing Director of Pyxis Discovery. “In addition to this, we hope that our collaboration with iThemba will support their ambition to bring affordable medicines to the less fortunate people in this world.”
About iThemba Pharmaceutical (Pty) Ltd. (http://www.ithembapharma.com)
iThemba Pharmaceuticals (Pty) Ltd., based in Modderfontein, Gauteng, South Africa is founded to discover and develop new and affordable medicines for the diseases of poverty in Africa. The company is funded by the Biotechnology Regional Innovation Centers, LIFElab and BioPAD of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of South Africa. Utilizing leading edge proprietary technology and its expertise in synthetic organic chemistry, iThemba Pharmaceuticals will become the premier research focal point in Africa for infectious diseases including HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and their associated co-infections. The company will create shareholder value by coupling the company’s own drug discovery efforts with collaborative research initiatives and cash-generating contracts to reduce the risks and costs of developing medicines for neglected diseases and low profit-margin markets.
About Pyxis Discovery B.V. (http://www.pyxis-discovery.com)
The ambition of Pyxis Discovery is to be the preferred chemistry service provider for companies that are active in small molecule drug discovery. Pyxis Discovery’s Smart approach of designing and selecting compound libraries facilitates a rapid and efficient lead discovery process, yielding lead compounds with excellent pharmacological profiles. Pyxis Discovery uses proprietary software algorithms for compound design and selection and a Global Supplier Database of nearly all commercially available screening compounds to provide its clients with screening libraries that are tailored to their specific needs. Furthermore, Pyxis Discovery offers high quality compound libraries off the shelf. Pyxis Discovery is headquartered in the Netherlands and has a worldwide presence with also an office in Boston, Massachusetts and representation in Japan.
Source: Pyxis Discovery B.V.

Source: melodika.net

Specialty antimicrobial research and development company Syntopix (AIM: SYN) took another step closer to commercialising a new product targeting a large consumer healthcare market, reporting good results from the trials of its new compound for the treatment of acneic skin, a condition that affects 85% of the population during their lifetime.

Over the course of the trials, formulations using the Syntopix dermatological compound SYN0126 alone or in combination with the lipid-targeted antioxidant SYN0854, outperformed a marketed cosmetic product containing 2% salicylic acid, producing a 30% mean reduction in total spot count over an eight week period.

The reduction in non-inflamed spots for both of the Syntopix formulations approached the efficacy seen with a number of topical prescription treatments. In contrast, the negative control group managed a mean reduction in non-inflamed spots of just 9.8% whilst the group using the marketed product (positive control) recorded a 7.8% mean increase.

The company believes the positive study results have put it closer to commercialising the product with discussions with potential clients already in place.

“This study confirms that our rigorous screening programme is yielding results.  We are now actively pursuing discussions with leading cosmetic and consumer healthcare companies to investigate the possibility of securing a licensing agreement for SYN0126 and are confident that the positive results from this study will lead to commercial deals in the near future,” said chief executive of Syntopix, Stephen Jones.

A further Phase II cosmetic study is set to take place in the second half of 2010.

Syntopix simultaneously released a business update, announcing its intention to focus on its three most advances compounds, SYN0126, SYN1113 and SYN0017 to accelerate their commercialisation, while continuing its screening programme to identify antimicrobial compounds for use in over-the-counter (OTC) and cosmetic products, particularly those used in skin care, oral care and chewing gum.

The company added that it continued to develop a strong working relationship with Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) and was in close collaboration to develop antimicrobials for use in an undisclosed “major consumer healthcare brand” and that it has renewed its exclusivity and evaluation agreement with another “major consumer healthcare company,” announced back in April. Syntopix has also secured its tenth UK patent to protect the SYN0126 compound.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has inked a deal with Astex Therapeutics to discover, develop, and commercialize compounds directed against multiple targets for £20 million (about $33 million) up front. Astex is eligible to development and regulatory milestones of over £300 million (roughly $496.47 million) if all programs are successfully developed and commercialized.

The up-front payment comprises £12.5 million (approximately $20.68 million) in cash and £7.5 million (about $12.41 million) in equity. Milestones include fees related to nonclinical success totaling more than £37 million (roughly $61.23 million). Additionally, Astex is entitled to tiered royalties on each program.

Astex will apply its fragment chemistry platform, Pyramid™, to various targets of interest to GSK. The firms will form joint program teams to identify candidate compounds. Astex will be primarily responsible for initial fragment screening and lead discovery. GSK will primarily be responsible for optimization of the identified lead compounds. Additionally, GSK will be solely responsible for completing preclinical and clinical development of all products arising from the collaboration and for their commercialization globally.

Source: genengnews.com

* AEOL 10150 Effectively Increases Regeneration of GI Stem Cells and Reduces the
Severity and Duration of Diarrhea
* Drug Improves Survival When Administered 24 Hours after Total Body
Irradiation

MISSION VIEJO, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Aeolus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB: AOLS) announced today that recent
experiments in preclinical models conducted by the National Institutes of
Health`s (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Radiation/Nuclear Medical Countermeasure Development program have shown that
AEOL 10150 can effectively increase regeneration of gastro-intestinal (GI) stem
cells, reduce the severity and duration of diarrhea and improve survival when
administered at 24 hours after doses of total-body irradiation that produce the
lethal GI syndrome. There are no published studies of agents that accomplish
this enhanced stem cell regenerative effect while maintaining GI function and
improving survival when administered post irradiation.

"The Aeolus drug AEOL 10150 passed our first phase of rigorous testing and
showed definitive effects on crypt stem cells and other secondary parameters
used to assess drug efficacy in ameliorating the acute GI syndrome," stated
Catherine Booth, Ph.D., Managing Director, Contract Research Services at
Epistem, Ltd. "This is one of few drugs shown to affect 'both' stem cell crypt
regeneration and survival in a syndrome that heretofore has been resistant to
mitigation with drugs administered at 24 hours post lethal exposure."

NIAID has a contract with the University of Maryland to provide product
development support services for the development of countermeasures against
radiation exposure. These studies are being conducted by Epistem, a
subcontractor of the University of Maryland, in compliance with criteria of the
FDA that are a pre-requisite for movement of the Aeolus drug along the pathway
for FDA licensure to treat lethally irradiated persons in the event of a
terrorist nuclear act. Epistem operates a major contract research organization
and provides services to identify novel drugs that can protect or improve the
repair of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract following exposure to irradiation and
performed these studies as part of its US NIH`s program for the screening of a
novel agents for bio-defense applications.

The NIH NIAID Radiation/Nuclear Medical Countermeasure Development program leads
the U.S. effort to develop treatments for radiation sickness following a nuclear
terrorist attack. GI-ARS is a massive, currently untreatable, problem following
high-dose, potentially lethal radiation exposure. Agents that mitigate these
effects would reduce sickness and hopefully prevent fatalities. The tests
performed by NIH/NIAID are also likely to identify agents with oncology
supportive care applications - agents that will reduce the severe ulceration and
diarrhea (mucositis) experienced by patients during radio- and chemo-therapy.
Risk of injury to the intestine is dose-limiting during abdominal and pelvic
radiation therapy-interventions that limit post-irradiation intestinal
dysfunction would have significant impact in large number of patients, estimated
to be between 1.5 to 2 million cancer survivors with post-irradiation intestinal
dysfunction. AEOL 10150 has previously demonstrated protective effects in
protecting healthy normal cells from damage occurring due to cancer radiation
therapy in preclinical models.

Radiation Damage to the GI Tract

The intestinal epithelium, a single layer of cells lining the surface of the GI
lumen, is responsible for vital functions of nutrient absorption, maintaining
fluid and electrolyte balance and protection of the body from bacteria,
bacterial toxins and non absorbed materials. The functional integrity of the GI
system is maintained via incessant production of epithelial cells from
specialized stem cells located in crypts at the base of the epithelium.
High-dose, total-body irradiation can result in a lethal GI syndrome that
results in significant morbidity and mortality within days consequent to killing
of the crypt stem cells and loss of the protective and absorptive epithelial
barrier. There are no FDA-approved drugs or biologics to treat the acute GI
syndrome.

About AEOL 10150

AEOL 10150 is a small molecule that catalytically consumes reactive oxygen and
nitrogen species (free radicals). The compound is a manganoporphyrin that
contains a positively-charged manganese metal ion that is able to accept and
give electrons to and from reactive oxygen species ("ROS") and reactive nitrogen
species ("RNS"). Research has shown that ROS and RNS have important cell
signaling roles, and through its interaction with RNS and ROS, AEOL 10150
appears to have multiple mechanisms of action including anti-oxidant,
anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic activities. In preclinical studies AEOL
10150 has demonstrated reductions in the markers for tissue hypoxia,
angiogenesis, inflammation and oxidative stress. Specifically, AEOL 10150 is
able to down-regulate oxidative stress and severe inflammation, which is
responsible for much of the tissue destruction that occurs as a result of
radiation exposure.

AEOL 10150 offers several unique advantages as a countermeasure for the
treatment of ARS, mustard gas and chlorine gas for civilian and military
populations. These include:

-- Flexible Treatment Paradigm - AEOL 10150 is intended for the treatment of
patients post-exposure, even in those who are already exhibiting symptoms,
eliminating the need for immediate administration in a predefined treatment
window. This approach has the added benefit of not requiring biodosimetry (a
means of laboratory analysis of the blood to determine the level of radiation
exposure).

-- Advanced Development Stage - AEOL 10150 has demonstrated safety in three
human clinical trials, and has an extensive pre-clinical safety and toxicology
package completed. The product also has an established stability profile that
permits long-term storage.

-- Large scale manufacturing - Aeolus has contract capacity with a large
manufacturing site to mass produce large quantities of AEOL 10150 under GMP
conditions.

-- Multiple Applications - AEOL 10150 has demonstrated protective effects
against radiation and mustard gas exposure, and within these indications has
shown the ability to treat multiple organ systems.

-- Commercial Application - Additionally, AEOL 10150 is being developed for use
as an adjunct to cancer radiation therapy, and preclinical data suggest that the
compound protects healthy normal cells from the effects of radiation without
compromising the efficacy of the radiation in killing tumor cells.

Potential for AEOL 10150 as a Countermeasure Against Multiple Terrorist Threats

AEOL 10150 has shown significant protective effects against radiation and
mustard gas in preclinical models. Additionally, based on its mechanism, it is
believed that the compound may potentially protect against exposure to chlorine
gas. Studies have been initiated to further explore AEOL 10150`s ability to
protect the lungs from damage due to exposure to mustard gas and chlorine gas. A
compound with the potential to protect against multiple threats would be of
significant benefit in both the military and civilian efforts to protect
citizens against potential threats. The FDA has a special rule under which
compounds may be approved for use against chemical and nuclear threats on the
strength of preclinical efficacy studies, which allows the potential for an
accelerated approval path versus conventional pharmaceutical applications.

About Aeolus Pharmaceuticals

Aeolus is developing a variety of therapeutic agents based on its proprietary
small molecule catalytic antioxidants, with AEOL 10150 being the first to enter
human clinical evaluation. AEOL 10150 is a patented, small molecule catalytic
antioxidant that mimics and thereby amplifies the body`s natural enzymatic
systems for eliminating reactive oxygen species, or free radicals. Studies
funded by the National Institutes for Health are currently underway evaluating
AEOL 10150 as a treatment for exposure to radiation, mustard gas and chlorine
gas. Additionally, the Company has funded mouse and non-human primate studies
necessary to seek approval of the compound as a treatment to protect and/or
mitigate radiation-induced damage to the lungs for which there are no
FDA-approved drugs. Radiation-induced pneumonits and/or fibrosis are potentially
lethal delayed effects of acute radiation exposure. The ability to control these
delayed consequences will also translate into the clinic and further emphasize
the dual utility of AEOL 10150.

About Epistem, Ltd.

Epistem is a biotechnology company commercializing its expertise in epithelial
stem cells in the areas of oncology, gastrointestinal diseases and
dermatological applications. Epistem develops innovative therapeutics and
biomarkers and provides contract research services to drug development
companies. The Group`s expertise is focused on the regulation of adult stem
cells located in epithelial tissue, which includes the gastrointestinal tract,
skin, hair follicles, breast and prostate. Epistem does not conduct research in
the areas of embryonic stem cells or stem cell transplantation. Epistem operates
three distinct business divisions, Contract Research Services, Novel Therapies
and Biomarkers.

Epistem`s Contract Research Services division provides scientific expertise and
preclinical research models to the NIH`s research programme on Radiation/Nuclear
Medical Countermeasure Development. This research programme, funded by the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases through a contract with
the University of Maryland School of Medicine, tests drugs from early screening
through advanced development for the prevention and treatment of radiation
sickness following exposure to high dose radiation following a nuclear terrorist
attack. Epistem has developed its proprietary models to provide a unique insight
into the mechanisms of intestinal damage and repair following radiation
exposure. Epistem`s models evaluate the efficacy, mechanism of action, optimal
drug dosing and scheduling of potential new treatments. Epistem has an
eight-year track record of providing testing services to over 130 international
company clients in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

The statements in this press release that are not purely statements of
historical fact are forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are
not limited to, those relating to Aeolus` product candidates, as well as its
proprietary technologies and research programs. Such forward-looking statements
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause
Aeolus` actual results to be materially different from historical results or
from any results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Important factors that could cause results to differ include risks associated
with uncertainties of progress and timing of clinical trials, scientific
research and product development activities, difficulties or delays in
development, testing, obtaining regulatory approval, the need to obtain funding
for pre-clinical and clinical trials and operations, the scope and validity of
intellectual property protection for Aeolus` product candidates, proprietary
technologies and their uses, and competition from other biopharmaceutical
companies. Certain of these factors and others are more fully described in
Aeolus` filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not
limited to, Aeolus` Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30,
2008. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.

Aeolus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
John L. McManus
President and Chief Executive Officer
1-949-481-9825
Source: reuters.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009

* Galapagos to discover small molecule candidate drugs for pre-clinical development in atherosclerosis* Total alliance milestones more than double to over EUR 400 million, plus royalties on worldwide sales

Mechelen, Belgium 14 October 2009 - Galapagos NV (Euronext: GLPG) announced today that it has expanded its global strategic alliance in metabolic diseases with an affiliate of Merck & Co., Inc to incorporate the development of new therapies for atherosclerosis.

Galapagos will be responsible for the discovery and pre-clinical development of new small molecule candidate drugs based on novel Galapagos targets. The alliance will make use of Galapagos’ proprietary target discovery platform for identification of novel targets in atherosclerosis, as well as in obesity and diabetes. After validation, targets will be selected by a joint steering committee and entered into screening and chemistry by Galapagos. Merck will have an exclusive option to license in each candidate for clinical development and commercialization on a worldwide basis. Upon exercise of such option, Merck will be responsible for the development and commercialization of the candidate drug. Galapagos may execute Phase I clinical studies and will have the right to further develop and commercialize certain compounds for which Merck does not exercise its exclusive option.

In January 2009, Galapagos announced an alliance with Merck in diabetes and obesity, with milestone payments with the potential to exceed EUR 170 million. Under the terms of this expanded agreement, that now includes small molecule candidate drugs for pre-clinical development in atherosclerosis, Galapagos is eligible to receive research, regulatory and sales milestone payments that may total in excess of EUR 400 million. In addition Galapagos is eligible to receive royalties upon commercialization of any products covered under the agreement.

The expansion announced today is separate from Galapagos’ alliance with Merck in inflammatory diseases announced in April 2009.

“We are pleased to expand our relationship with Merck, a highly synergetic and decisive partner in the metabolic and inflammation alliances,” said Onno van de Stolpe, CEO. “Today’s expansion into atherosclerosis fits very well into our strategy of leveraging the novelty coming out of Galapagos’ R&D approach.”

“Merck’s extended collaboration with Galapagos underscores our ongoing commitment to identifying novel therapeutic targets for fighting cardiovascular and metabolic diseases,” said Catherine Strader, Vice President, External Basic Research, Merck Research Laboratories.

About atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis, commonly referred to as hardening of the arteries, involves the thickening of the artery walls as a result of the build-up of fatty materials such as cholesterol. Atherosclerosis is considered the most common underlying cause of strokes, heart attacks, and most cardiovascular diseases in general, including congestive heart failure. Treatment includes lifestyle changes and medicines. Global sales of cardiovascular drugs exceeded $95 billion in 2008, making it the largest therapeutic area worldwide. Current research is focused on reducing side effects and costs for new atherosclerosis therapies.

About Galapagos

Galapagos (Euronext: GLPG; OTC: GLPYY) is a drug discovery and development company with small molecule programs in bone and joint diseases, bone metastasis, cachexia, anti-infectives, atherosclerosis, and metabolic diseases. It has established risk sharing alliances with GSK, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Eli Lilly and Merck & Co., Inc. Through an alliance with MorphoSys, Galapagos is also developing new antibody therapies in bone and joint diseases. Its division BioFocus offers a full suite of target-to-drug discovery products and services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies and to patient foundations, encompassing target discovery and validation, screening and drug discovery through to delivery of pre-clinical candidates. Galapagos currently employs 495 people and operates facilities in six countries, with global headquarters in Mechelen, Belgium. More info at: www.glpg.com

CONTACT

Galapagos NV
Onno van de Stolpe, CEO
Tel: +31 6 2909 8028

ir@glpg.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

This release may contain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “stands to,” and “continues,” as well as similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which might cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Galapagos, or industry results, to be materially different from any historic or future results, financial conditions, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Given these uncertainties, the reader is advised not to place any undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of publication of this document. Galapagos expressly disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements in this document to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, unless required by law or regulation.
This announcement was originally distributed by Hugin. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Source: pr-usa.net

Victoria, BC, Canada and Aarhus, Denmark — October 19, 2009 — GenoLogics and CLC bio today announced they will provide an end-to-end informatics and analysis solution, optimized for Next Generation Sequencing research that addresses both lab and data management and data analysis all within one integrated system.

This end-to-end solution will significantly impact researchers’ ability to aggregate raw data across Next Generation Sequencing experiments to get to biological meaningful results faster. From initial sample submission to final analysis, GenoLogics’ lab and data management system for genomics, Geneus, and CLC bio’s CLC Genomics Server, CLC Genomics Workbench and CLC NGS Cell integrate seamlessly to help researchers get the most out of their Next Generation Sequencing instruments.

Thomas Knudsen, CEO at CLC bio, states  “With this collaboration, our Enterprise Platform expands with an end-to-end workflow that couples world-class LIMS functionalities like tracking of samples and data as well as reporting, with our comprehensive Next Generation Sequencing analysis capabilities, to the obvious benefit of our customers. This way researchers can keep up with the vast volumes of sequencing data being churned out by high-throughput sequencing machines, and quickly turn the massive amounts of raw data into meaningful results.”

Sal Sanci, Vice President Products for GenoLogics, continues “We continually strive to provide our customers with solutions that marry best-in-class analytics tools and informatics to accelerate the path to meaningful results and discovery. This collaboration combines two proven systems, into one unified environment for data management and comprehensive analysis. We know our customers need a unified end-to-end solution and have asked for an integration between Geneus and CLC bio’s NGS platform – and now it’s available!”

Combined, these two systems offer a comprehensive solution to researchers using next generation sequencing instruments. Researchers can keep pace with the growing volume of sequence data, and quickly turn massive amounts of raw data into meaningful results.

This powerful informatics and analysis solution offers researchers extensive sample tracking, project, and workflow management capabilities, as well as streamlined data pipelining, and comprehensive results analysis. Furthermore it provides users with a well organized and intuitive graphical interface for carrying out an extensive range of high-performance computing accelerated analyses within genomics, transcriptomics, and epigenomics.

About GenoLogics
http://www.genologics.com/about-us

About CLC bio
http://www.clcbio.com/about

Contact GenoLogics
Tanis MacSween, Manager, Marketing Communications
Phone: +1 250-483-7063
E-mail: tanis.macsween@genologics.com

Contact CLC bio
Thomas Knudsen, CEO
Phone: +45 7022 5509
E-mail: info@clcbio.com

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–DiscoveryBioMed, Inc. (DBM) today announced that it has been awarded a $750,000 Small Business Innovations Research (SBIR) Phase 2 grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue the research into the discovery and development of small molecules to alleviate multiple chronic human diseases including cystic fibrosis (CF), hypertension and chronic kidney diseases with hypertension.

“We are proud to have been awarded this grant and to have our technology again recognized and validated by the NIH,” said Dr. Erik Schwiebert, Chief Executive Officer of DiscoveryBioMed. “With our academic partners at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, we stand ready to test lead compounds for safety and efficacy in both CF and hypertensive animal models.”

DBM has adapted a known electrical bioassay method to be high-throughput screening friendly, a necessary solution to bring the bioassay to the molecular target endogenous to the apical cell membrane of polarized renal and respiratory epithelia. The molecular target in play for this drug discovery program is an epithelial ion channel that is the rate-limiting step for the handling of salt in the distal portions of the kidney and in the respiratory tract. When over-active, this sodium channel can cause dehydration of the airways and too much salt in the blood, leading to high blood pressure.

“To successfully study this ion channel target, we had to bring the bioassay to the target where it is most comfortable, the apical membrane of a polarized epithelium simulated in in vitro 3D culture,” continued Dr. Schwiebert. “Researchers refer to this target as ‘twitchy’ since it does not behave the same in other experimental systems. It also depends upon factors produced by the epithelium itself to maintain proper activity. DBM brought the assay to the target and remains true to the principle that the target should be endogenous to a human or mammalian epithelial cell system to empower the most biologically-relevant drug discovery program. We believe screening on life-like human cell platforms is essential in development of drugs that ultimately will be provided to human patients.”

Additionally, DiscoveryBioMed has a pair of closely related lead compounds in hand that it will use as a medicinal chemistry platform. Additional hit-to-lead compounds are emerging. At the end of Phase 2, DBM anticipates having pre-clinical animal data and, possibly, proof-of-concept efficacy data in animals and in humans to show to potential out-license partners.

About DiscoveryBioMed, Inc.

DiscoveryBioMed, Inc. is a life sciences and biotechnology company that engages in R&D and services work in cell engineering and production and cell-based drug discovery. The company is located within The Innovation Depot facility in Birmingham, Alabama. Using physiologically relevant cell culture models preferably derived from normal and diseased adult human cells and tissues, DBM focuses on finding therapeutic compounds for a variety of human diseases. It also applies this custom human cell-based approach to its “fee-for-service” support to researchers in allied areas and currently serves clients both locally in Alabama as well as in 11 other states in the US currently. For more information, visit the DBM website at www.discoverybiomed.com.

Source: Businesswire.com

Zelinsky Institute Inc. (Newark, DE, August 2009) - Zelinsky Institute Inc. expands its partnership and supplier network with the announcement of collaboration with one of the premier fine chemistry companies - ART-CHEM, which originated from Moscow, Russia, and has started its operations in Berlin, Germany, in 2005. ART-CHEM specializes in synthesis of highly diverse and rich in unique scaffolds HTS compounds and building blocks. The entire line of ART-CHEM product offerings is going to be available via Zelinsky Institute Inc., which is headquartered in and currently operates from Delaware, USA, offices.

ART-CHEM founder, Dr. B. Ugrak, comments, “We are pleased to become a part of Zelinsky Institute, a recognized supplier of specialty chemicals. Together we can provide greater value serving our, now, joined customer base.” Zelinsky Institute CEO, Dr. M. Niazoff, agrees adding, “We are happy to have ART-CHEM high quality fine chemistry products and service capabilities accessible via Zelinsky Institute. Together, we are looking forward to growing our market fueled by ever-evolving research demands.”

Collaboration aims at making ART-CHEM products and services known and easily accessible for existing and prospective Zelinsky Institute Inc. customers worldwide. September 2009 product databases distributed by Zelinsky Institute Inc. are going to include ART-CHEM’s drug-like and chemically diverse compounds for screening, building blocks, and intermediates. Zelinsky Institute Inc. is going to coordinate procurement, orders, and consolidated delivery of HTS products. Zelinsky Institute Inc. and ART-CHEM collaboration is open to custom projects going beyond the supply of just existing fine organic chemistry. For recently launched databases, products and services, inquiries, orders, and customized solutions please contact