`Structure-Guided Drug Discovery' Instructional Webcast to Take Place September 15, 2004.

LARCHMONT, N.Y. -- A virtual seminar on "Structure-Guided Drug Discovery: Fragment-Based Lead Identification and Optimization," presented by Genetic Engineering News (www.GENseminars.com), will take place on September 15, 2004, at 12 pm EDT (NY time). This live webcast will offer strategies for real-time accessing of structural information on kinase and protease targets, through application of next-generation crystallographic methods, to shorten production timelines for potent, selective drugs.

Presenting will be Stephen K. Burley, M.D., D.Phil., FRSC, chief scientific officer and senior VP of research at Structural GenomiX. Dr. Burley completed postdoctoral research at Rockefeller University, where he pioneered methods in high-throughput crystallography, before acquiring a medical degree through the Harvard/MIT Health Sciences and Technology M.D. program. Dr. Burley offers attendees of this GEN virtual seminar access to his significant expertise in crystallography as relevant for therapeutics development.

John Munroe, Ph.D., director of discovery chemistry research at Eli Lilly & Co., will moderate the event, bringing a Big Pharma perspective to the educational talk.

This 90-minute virtual seminar will cover: crystallographic screening methods to identify synthesis-amenable complexes of target and lead compounds (latter of MW 150-200); computational-chemistry applications to guide high-throughput organic synthesis; evaluation of focused, one-dimensional libraries through biochemical assays and co-crystallography; methods to optimize variations at points of chemical diversity, to access significantly higher chemical-shape diversity than achievable with conventional HTS; and examination of 2-D and 3-D libraries through crystallography, cellular assays, and ADMET.

"Biotechnology has ushered in an era of rational drug design, where scientists can manipulate molecules and molecular fragments in drug discovery and development experiments, to optimize chances of developing successful therapeutic products," says John Sterling, editor in chief of Genetic Engineering News. "This seminar will zero in on kinase and protease targets, which are the focus of much current and promising pharmaceutical research."

Registrations for "Structure-Guided Drug Discovery: Fragment-Based Lead Identification and Optimization" are limited to ensure interactive participation. Following the presentation will be an extensive Q & A session, with worldwide participation. To register online, and for further information, visit www.GENseminars.com.

Genetic Engineering News (www.genengnews.com) is the most widely read publication in the biotechnology industry and the only high-frequency publication focused on international bioindustry news. Established in 1981, GEN is also the oldest biotechnology publication, having covered the industry since its inception. GEN is published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., a privately held, fully integrated media company known for developing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in cutting-edge areas of bioscience and medicine, engineering, law, and business.