SAN DIEGO, March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- NaviCyte, Inc., a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Trega Biosciences Inc. (Nasdaq: TRGA), announced today that it
has entered into an agreement with The R.W. Johnson Pharmaceutical Research
Institute, a Johnson & Johnson company, to collaborate on the use and
development of NaviCyte's proprietary Pk-Informatics tools to identify new
candidates for drug development. The R.W. Johnson Pharmaceutical Research
Institute (PRI) joins SmithKline Beecham, Genentech, Parke-Davis, and
Schering-Plough as the newest member of NaviCyte's IDEA(TM) Consortium to
predict ADME characteristics of drugs, in silico.
Under the terms of the agreement, PRI will provide data and make initial
and milestone payments over the course of the further development of
NaviCyte's proprietary In Vitro Determination for Evaluation of Absorption
(IDEA(TM)) simulation software system and database. NaviCyte will license its
software and computational models for use at PRI with compound libraries from
PRI and other Johnson & Johnson Affiliates.
NaviCyte's Pk-Informatics tools are designed to enable the prediction of
pharmacokinetic outcomes in humans. "We are pleased to welcome Johnson &
Johnson's research institute to the IDEA(TM) Consortium," stated Dr. George M.
Grass, president of NaviCyte. "In 1996, NaviCyte became the first company to
develop ADME simulation software in combination with a comprehensive database
consortium of companies. NaviCyte's IDEA(TM) Consortium has from the start
been focused on developing the most comprehensive and predictive ADME product
on the market."
"NaviCyte's association with Trega gives the Consortium access to a much
greater pool of resources and with the addition of Trega's chemical libraries,
this will allow NaviCyte to substantially accelerate its Pk-Informatics(TM)
modeling effort, including prediction of ADME from chemical structures," said
Michael G. Grey, president & CEO of Trega.
NaviCyte, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Trega Biosciences, Inc. and
offers its Computational Pharmacokinetics technology through proprietary High
Throughput Pharmacokinetic Screening (HTPkS)(TM) systems, Pk-Informatics(TM)
software tools, and consulting expertise to its partners and customers to
facilitate the rapid screening of drug candidates for pharmacokinetic
characteristics.
Trega Biosciences is focused on accelerating the process of drug discovery
from target identification to clinical candidates by using small molecule
combinatorial chemistry, high throughput screening and predictive
bioinformatics to rapidly create novel drugs having greater chances of
clinical success. In combination with its wholly owned subsidiary, NaviCyte,
Trega offers integrated products and services spanning the drug discovery
process -- beginning with synthesizing novel compounds to providing uniquely
qualified drug leads -- to the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical
industries. Trega also uses its drug discovery technologies in internal
development programs, which are focused on discovering small molecules acting
on melanocortin receptors for the treatment of inflammatory and metabolic
diseases.
The R.W. Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute, a Johnson & Johnson
company, conducts pharmaceutical research and development.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters
discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve
risks and uncertainties, including whether the Company's resources are
sufficient to enable it to reach its business objectives, any research to be
conducted as described will be successful, any additional collaborations or
alliances will be agreed to, formed or expanded, whether regulatory approvals
can be obtained for products discovered and developed, if any, whether any
such products can be successfully marketed, the impact of competitive products
and pricing, in marketing success, whether any other corporate collaborations
or alliances will be successful, and other risks detailed from time to time in
Trega's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. These forward-looking
statements represent Trega's judgment as of the date of this release. Actual
results may differ materially from those projected. Trega disclaims, however,
any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Trega's releases are on the World Wide Web at http://www.trega.com and PR
Newswire's fax-on-demand service at 1-800-758-5804, extension 374050.
SOURCE NaviCyte, Inc.
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.trega.com
CONTACT:
Gerard A. Wills, Chief Financial Officer of
Trega Biosciences, Inc., 619-410-6695; or George M. Grass,
Pharm.D., Ph.D., President of NaviCyte, Inc., 619-410-6585
|
