Ciba-Geigy and IDUN Pharmaceuticals announce strategic collaboration.SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 1995--Ciba-Geigy Limited of Basel, Switzerland, and IDUN Pharmaceuticals Inc., an early-stage San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. biotechnology company, Thursday announced that they have signed a collaborative research and licensing agreement to discover and develop new drugs for treatment of diseases of the central nervous system (CNS See Continuous net settlement. CNS See continuous net settlement (CNS). ). The collaboration will initially be based on IDUN's proprietary technology and expertise in the field of programmed cell death pro·grammed cell death n. See apoptosis. programmed cell death proposed system of cell death, often including poly(ADP)-ribosylation, ensures that a cell will not survive if it is so badly damaged that its recovery would harm the , or apoptosis, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Costa G. Sevastopoulos, Ph.D., chairman and co-founder of IDUN. In exchange for exclusive worldwide rights to IDUN's technology for use in its CNS field, Ciba has purchased shares of IDUN stock that will give it a minority stake in the company and has committed to support a significant number of researchers in IDUN's laboratories. The agreement includes future payments to be made from Ciba to IDUN based on achievement of development milestones, as well as royalties on future products. The duration of the collaboration is five years and could be extended. Separate from the CNS collaboration but included in the agreement, Ciba received nonexclusive rights to certain IDUN technology in the cancer field. "We believe that the study of apoptosis can become an engine that will drive novel drug discovery," said Dr. Georges Haas, Ciba's head of Pharma Research International. "IDUN, its technology and its academic collaborators represent the leading position in the field of programmed cell death, and we at Ciba look forward to a productive collaboration." "We are delighted with this opportunity to join our efforts with those of Ciba in this important field," Sevastopoulos said. "Ciba brings outstanding research and development expertise to the collaboration, and we have high expectations for the emergence of new CNS products to treat neurodegenerative diseases neurodegenerative diseases diseases characterized by neurodegeneration. Lesions are microscopic only but in chronic disease with massive involvement there may be grossly visible atrophy of affected nervous tissue. ." Cell death, once believed to be the end of a gradual, passive aging process, is now known to be an active biochemical event. Scientists have discovered that essentially all cells can specifically regulate their own death, often by a process called programmed cell death, or apoptosis. Abnormalities in the control of cell death result in either an abnormal increase in cell number (e.g., cancer) or an abnormal loss of cells (e.g., degenerative diseases). Recent data indicate that virtually all cells have a discrete cell death pathway defined by a specific set of genes. These genes encode proteins that form the biochemical cascade A biochemical cascade is a series of chemical reactions in which the products of one reaction are consumed in the next reaction. There are several important biochemical cascade reactions in biochemistry, including the enzymatic cascades, such as the coagulation cascade and the which ultimately leads to cell death. Compounds that affect apoptosis may be employed to prevent this abnormal cell activity. Ciba-Geigy Limited, based in Basel, is one of the world's leading biological and chemical companies. The Pharma Division is dedicated to discovering, developing, manufacturing and marketing innovative pharmaceuticals to meet unmet medical needs and improve quality of life. In 1994, the division had sales of 6,105 million Swiss francs ($4.5 billion) and has branches, joint ventures, scientific offices and agencies in more than 150 countries. The company maintains pharmaceutical research centers in Switzerland, the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and the United Kingdom. The Ciba group, with total 1994 sales of 22,049 million Swiss francs ($16.3 billion), is dedicated to satisfying needs in health care, agriculture and industry with innovative, value-adding products and services. IDUN Pharmaceuticals is a privately held early-stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing novel drugs that treat diseases by modulating the biochemical pathways controlling cell death. IDUN has a broad patent portfolio with exclusive licenses to commercialize apoptosis-related discoveries made at several academic institutions, including the University of Chicago, Dartmouth University, Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University, mainly at Baltimore, Md. Johns Hopkins in 1867 had a group of his associates incorporated as the trustees of a university and a hospital, endowing each with $3.5 million. Daniel C. , Thomas Jefferson University It began as Jefferson Medical College in 1824. On July 1, 1969 the institution officially became Thomas Jefferson University. The university is made up of three colleges:
CONTACT: IDUN Pharmaceuticals Inc., San Diego Costa G. Sevastopoulos, 619/623-1330 or Ciba-Geigy Limited International Communications Nerys Wadham, 44/171-600-6272 or Keatinge & Associates Inc. Richard W. Keatinge, 619/625-2100 |
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