ExonHit Therapeutics Achieves First Research Milestone in Its Collaboration with Allergan; Compound Synthesized at ExonHit Demonstrates Promising Preclinical Profile.PARIS Paris, in Greek mythology Paris or Alexander, in Greek mythology, son of Priam and Hecuba and brother of Hector. Because it was prophesied that he would cause the destruction of Troy, Paris was abandoned on Mt. -- ExonHit Therapeutics, a privately-held drug discovery company, announced today that it has reached a first research milestone in its collaboration with Allergan (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :AGN AGN Again (Amateur Radio) AGN Active Galactic Nucleus AGN Acute Glomerulonephritis AGN Accountants Global Network AGN Air Gabon (ICAO code) ), a global speciality pharmaceutical company. A new orally active small molecule was synthesized by ExonHit chemists to modulate a pathway identified by ExonHit's alternative splicing profiling technology, DATAS(TM), in tissues from disease models at Allergan. This compound was shown to have a very good profile in Allergan's in vivo in vivo /in vi·vo/ (ve´vo) [L.] within the living body. in vi·vo adj. Within a living organism. in vivo adv. preclinical models of neuropathic pain. The collaboration between ExonHit Therapeutics and Allergan was established last year to identify, develop and commercialise drugs targeted at the treatment of neuro-degenerative diseases, pain and ophthalmology. "We are pleased to successfully achieve this first research milestone in our collaboration with ExonHit Therapeutics," stated Scott Whitcup, Allergan's Executive Vice President, Research and Development. "This compound synthesized by ExonHit's chemistry group provides the potential for a new approach to neuropathic pain therapy. We are continuing our strategic collaboration with ExonHit Therapeutics to take full benefit from their innovative DATAS(TM) technology to identify new molecular targets." "Within two years the team at ExonHit has delivered a very attractive new drug candidate meeting stringent selection criteria," said Bruno Tocque. "The use of DATAS(TM)and our cutting-edge chemistry group were key to reaching this proof of concept stage so rapidly. The interaction between Allergan and ExonHit scientists continues to be first rate. We look forward to further success stemming from this collaboration, particularly in therapeutic areas where unmet needs are still present." About Neuropathic Pain Neuropathic pain is the result of an injury or malfunction in the peripheral or central nervous system. The pain frequently has burning, lancinating lancinating /lan·ci·nat·ing/ (lan´si-nat?ing) tearing, darting, or sharply cutting; said of pain. lan·ci·nat·ing adj. Characterized by a sensation of cutting, piercing, or stabbing. , or electric shock qualities. Persistent allodynia, pain resulting from a nonpainful stimulus such as a light touch, is also a common characteristic of neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain is frequently chronic, and tends to have a less robust response to treatment with opioids. Examples of neuropathic pain include: monoradiculopathies, trigeminal neuralgia Trigeminal Neuralgia Definition Trigeminal neuralgia is a disorder of the trigeminal nerve (the fifth cranial nerve) that causes episodes of sharp, stabbing pain in the cheek, lips, gums, or chin on one side of the face. , postherpetic neuralgia Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) Persistent pain that occurs as a complication of a herpes zoster infection. Although the pain can be treated, the response is variable. , phantom limb pain phantom limb pain n. Pain or discomfort felt by an amputee in the area of the missing limb. phantom limb pain, n , complex regional pain syndromes and the various peripheral neuropathies (widespread nerve damage, most commonly caused by diabetes or chronic alcohol use). The population prevalence is about 2,400 per 100,000 rising with age to 8,000 per 100,000. About DATAS(TM) technology ExonHit Therapeutics' core technology DATAS(TM) is a qualitative gene profiling technology based on the analysis of alternative RNA splicing RNA splicing n. See splicing. RNA splicing, n the process by which base pairs that interrupt the continuity of genetic information in deoxyribonucleic acid are removed from the precursors of messenger , a key regulatory mechanism between genes and proteins. For the first time, DATAS(TM) technology provides information on the nature of the mRNA instead of looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. differences in the amount of mRNAs. DATAS(TM) technology systematically characterises all the functionally distinct mRNA variants (exons or introns) that differ between any two conditions (normal vs. diseased; treated vs. untreated). Because it enables the collection of tissue-specific RNA splicing events, it allows researchers to pinpoint the functional domains of proteins whose activities are essential to the onset of diseases, thus providing valuable genomic information for therapeutics and diagnostic applications. About ExonHit Therapeutics... ExonHit Therapeutics is a privately held company privately held company A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. committed to advancing the treatment of serious diseases with unmet medical needs, with a focus on 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. and cancer. ExonHit has discovered and developed in-house a clinical stage therapeutic pipeline using its unique drug discovery engine based on the analysis of alternative RNA splicing, an untouched area of biology. Alternative splicing is a crucial element of gene expression that enables the expression of several proteins from a single gene. The analysis of alternative splicing provides a unique tool to efficiently and precisely identify novel targets for therapeutic intervention. In addition, ExonHit's profiling technology is utilized in broader applications by several external therapeutic and diagnostic collaborators. Founded in 1997, ExonHit is headquartered in Paris, France, and has a U.S. facility in Gaithersburg, Md. More information is available at www.exonhit.com. |
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