LA JOLLA, Calif., March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- SIBIA Neurosciences Inc.
(Nasdaq: SIBI) today announced that it has presented novel findings reporting
what the Company believes are the first selective compounds for a particular
subtype of metabotropic glutamate receptors.  These potent, subtype-selective
compounds are the first known to be effective as antagonists of an excitatory
amino acid receptor named metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5)
which is regionally expressed in the human central nervous system.  The
results were presented at the recently concluded British Pharmacological
Society Meeting and the International Business Communications meeting entitled
"New Developments in Glutamate Pharmacology: Therapeutic Implications."
    The compounds, SIB-1757 and SIB-1893, were identified from screening a
random chemical library using SIBIA's proprietary cell lines engineered to
express individual subtypes of human metabotropic glutamate receptors and
utilized the Company's proprietary high-throughput screening system.  The
report suggests that the compounds are also selectively active in assays using
animal tissues known to express the mGluR5 subtype.  These compounds should be
useful in elucidating the possible role of mGluR5 in the transmission of pain
and in other neurological and psychiatric disorders.
    SIBIA holds patents on a number of metabotropic glutamate receptor
subtypes, including mGluR5, and on its high-throughput screening system.
    Dr. Jeffrey F. McKelvy, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific
officer at SIBIA Neurosciences stated, "Metabotropic glutamate receptors are
involved in basic neural processes which may be compromised in several
disorders of the nervous system, including pain, epilepsy, anxiety,
schizophrenia and neurodegenerative diseases.  The identification of compounds
selective for specific subtypes of these receptors is an important
achievement, necessary for the development of selective therapeutic agents for
treating these disorders.  The discovery of these compounds also demonstrates
the power of  SIBIA's high-throughput screening system for drug discovery and
the value of the proprietary nature of our screening system and molecular
targets."
    SIBIA Neurosciences, Inc. is engaged in the discovery and development of
novel small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of neurodegenerative,
neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders, many of which have large patient
populations and represent critical unmet medical needs.  SIBIA is a leader in
the development of proprietary drug discovery platforms that combine key tools
necessary for modern drug discovery, including genomics, high throughput
screening, advanced combinatorial chemistry techniques and pharmacology.
The Company's proprietary molecular targets and drug candidates, together with
its drug discovery technologies and research expertise, have enabled the
Company to establish several corporate collaborations, which include
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Eli Lilly and Company, Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd.
and Novartis AG  and multiple technology licensing arrangements.

    This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks
and uncertainties.  Actual results could differ materially from those
discussed herein.  These risks and uncertainties include risks and
uncertainties regarding the Company's patents, whether SIB-1757 and SIB-1893
will be useful to the Company's drug discovery, whether SIBIA will be able to
meet its development goals, the new and uncertain state of SIBIA's
technologies, SIBIA's future capital needs and the uncertainty of receiving
additional funding, uncertainties regarding patents and proprietary rights,
and other research, development and market risks.  These and other risks and
uncertainties are more fully set forth in SIBIA's most recently filed Forms
10-Q and 10-K.

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