Cerylid Biosciences and Anadys Pharmaceuticals Announce Anti-Infective Drug Discovery Partnership.Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers BIOWIRE2K SAN DIEGO--(BW HealthWire)--June 06, 2002 Program to screen Cerylid's Natural Products using Anadys' uHTS-ATLAS(TM) Technology Cerylid Biosciences Limited (Cerylid) and Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Anadys) announced today a strategic partnership for the discovery of novel anti-infective compounds. This partnership will utilize Anadys' uHTS-ATLAS(TM) technology to screen Cerylid's world leading collection of natural products against key Anadys targets. Under the terms of the collaboration, Anadys will gain access to Cerylid's extensive library of unique natural products samples derived predominantly from organisms of Australian origin. Anadys will screen the samples against important undisclosed anti-infective targets using its uHTS-ATLAS(TM) ultra high-throughput screening High-throughput screening (HTS), is a method for scientific experimentation especially used in drug discovery and relevant to the fields of biology and chemistry. Purpose and method methodologies. Cerylid will then use its expertise in natural products chemistry to identify biologically active small molecules in extracts that show positive results in the screens. Anadys will have responsibility for advancing compounds through lead optimization, as well as preclinical preclinical /pre·clin·i·cal/ (-klin´i-k'l) before a disease becomes clinically recognizable. pre·clin·i·cal adj. 1. and clinical development. "We are very pleased to gain access to Cerylid's industry-leading capabilities in natural products drug discovery," said Dr. Kleanthis G. Xanthopoulos, Ph.D., President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Anadys. "We believe that Cerylid has developed the world's largest and most chemically diverse natural products library, as well as unique techniques for the identification of novel compounds. We expect this to be an effective complement to the powerful screening techniques we have developed at Anadys, and will facilitate our efforts to discover new and powerful drugs." "This drug discovery collaboration with Anadys is an ideal marriage of technologies. By combining our library of natural product samples with Anadys' unique and powerful screening methodologies, there are great prospects for the discovery of novel anti-infectives. We are delighted to join with Anadys in this new partnership," said Dr. Jackie Fairley, CEO of Cerylid. Financial details were not disclosed. About Anadys Pharmaceuticals Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Anadys") is a new generation drug discovery company committed to applying an integrated approach that combines biology and chemistry to develop new small molecule therapeutics therapeutics Treatment and care to combat disease or alleviate pain or injury. Its tools include drugs, surgery, radiation therapy, mechanical devices, diet, and psychiatry. . The Company is committed to developing novel powerful antibiotics and medicines to treat viral infections viral infection, n an infection by a pathogenic virus. A virus acts on the cell nucleus, taking over the genetic material within the nucleus and replicating itself. . To that end, Anadys has assembled and integrated a proprietary suite of technologies to identify novel targets (using GATE(TM) and Riboproteomics(TM)), screen them for small molecule effectors (uHTS-ATLAS(TM) and SCAN(TM)), and develop clinical candidates using its considerable capabilities in high-output medicinal chemistry Medicinal or pharmaceutical chemistry is a scientific discipline at the intersection of chemistry and pharmacology involved with designing, synthesizing and developing pharmaceutical drugs. . Anadys has a specific capability to exploit RNA-related targets and novel chemistries to find new medicines using its leadership position in Riboproteomics(TM). RNA-related targets have been validated with the approval of drugs such as neomycin neomycin (nē'ōmī`sĭn), broad spectrum antibiotic effective against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria (see Gram's stain). , Zyvox(R), and Zithromax(R). Anadys intends to harness this integrated suite of technologies to propel a strong and continual pipeline of drug candidates into the clinic. For more information, please visit www.anadyspharma.com. About Cerylid Biosciences Limited Cerylid Biosciences Limited is a Melbourne, Australia-based biotechnology company focused on the discovery of novel pharmaceuticals from naturally-occurring compounds. Cerylid's business is driven by two technology platforms: The Natural Products Drug Discovery Platform is based on Cerylid's extensive (greater than 600,000) library of extracts from microbes, plants and, marine samples and microbes from the Australasian region. Complementing the library, the Company has proprietary methodologies, including high throughput screening and natural products chemistry to effectively search the extract library for potential drugs. The Genomics Platform focuses on discovering genes that will lead to validated targets for use in the development of new drug treatments and diagnostics. Current projects include Endometriosis endometriosis (ĕn'dəmē'trē-ō`sĭs), a condition in which small pieces of the endometrium (the lining of the uterus) migrate to other places in the pelvic area. , Type 1 Diabetes type 1 diabetes n. See diabetes mellitus. , and Multiple Sclerosis which are conducted through the CRC (Cyclical Redundancy Checking) An error checking technique used to ensure the accuracy of transmitting digital data. The transmitted messages are divided into predetermined lengths which, used as dividends, are divided by a fixed divisor. for Discovery of Genes for Common Human Diseases. Cerylid also has a collaborative arrangement with the Menzies Research Institute for undertaking genetic projects that are based on access to the Tasmanian population. Cerylid has partnership agreements with several key pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies Top 100 Biotechnology Companies The following is a list of the top 100 biotechnology companies ranked by revenue. The first nine companies qualify for the list of the top 50 pharmaceutical companies. for the discovery and development of new lead compounds and gene discovery. Cerylid Biosciences' major investors include Rothschild Bioscience Managers Ltd, JAFCO Asia Ltd, CM Capital Investments, AMRAD AMRAD Associação Portuguesa de Amadores de Rádio (Portugese) AMRAD American Radio and Research Corporation (very early US radio broadcasting company) AMRAD ARPA Measurements Radar Corporation Ltd, Development Australia Fund and the JBWere Private Equity Fund. For more information, please visit www.cerylid.com. |
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