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15th October 2003
DanioLabs
screening combination products for Combinatorx in Inflammatory
Bowel Disease
THE EFFECTS OF MODULATING MULTIPLE PATHWAYS
IN DISEASE MODELS
Cambridge, UK,
and Boston US, 15th October 2003… DanioLabs Ltd,
the therapeutics company which models human disease
through its zebrafish platform,
and CombinatoRx Inc the US Company which specialises
in developing combination products that target multiple
disease pathways, announced today a revenue generating
agreement in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Under
the terms of the agreement, DanioLabs will use their
proprietary IBD model to screen compound combinations
selected by CombinatoRx that are believed to effect a
network of targets involved in IBD
CombinatoRx has discovered multiple novel synergistic
combination drug candidates with potential to modulate
IBD relevant pathways. DanioLabs will evaluate these
candidates to identify the most effective disease rescuing
agent(s) in their zebrafish model of IBD.
Using zebrafish, DanioLabs has created a cost effective,
high-throughput, in vivo model of IBD which has been
shown to have clinical, pathological and biological relevance
to the human disease. The company also has developed
proprietary models in a number of other disease areas
including osteoporosis, epilepsy, pain and neurodegenerative
diseases.
Dr Paul Goldsmith, Chief Scientific
Officer of DanioLabs, said, “Teasing out additive
and synergistic effects of multiple compounds requires
a high-throughput in vivo
model. Our platform allows this. Additionally, the low
compound need makes the chemistry as well as the biology
very cost effective.”
Dr Peter Elliott, Senior Vice
President of Product Development at CombinatoRx added, “We are excited to further
evaluate our broad portfolio of novel mechanism combination
drugs through this collaboration with DanioLabs using
their innovative model system. IBD is characterized by
significant unmet clinical need and it is one of our
focus areas, in addition to rheumatoid arthritis and
asthma, as we advance the CombinatoRx immuno-inflammatory
pipeline”.
IBD is a term that covers a variety
of diseases including Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s
Disease which effect the gastrointestinal tract. These
are chronic inflammatory
conditions which affect the gut with periods of relapse
and remission. There are about 5 million sufferers worldwide.
There is currently no cure.
Notes to Editors
About DanioLabs Ltd
DanioLabs is a therapeutics company that uses its world
leading phenotype driven drug discovery technologies
to identify novel treatments for a variety of human
diseases. A major part of the DanioLabs platform involves
the use of zebrafish as an experimental species. Using
these models, the company is able to identify activity
of experimental compounds, and to provide the additional
evidence relevant to the treatment of the disease needed
to progress such compounds cost-effectively through
the drug development process.
DanioLabs build high-throughput disease models that
allow 96 well plate format in vivo screening. As well
as working with partners to develop new models in a variety
of disease areas and to undertake screening campaigns,
the company also use their systems to identify their
own novel therapeutics in the specific areas of ophthalmology
and neurological disease. As well as identifying novel
use opportunities, the company is also developing chemistry
around interesting novel targets. For more information
on DanioLabs Ltd, please see www.daniolabs.com.
Email: info@daniolabs.com
About Combinatorx
CombinatoRx, a privately held pharmaceutical company,
is creating new combination medicines that attack disease
on multiple fronts. The company has an impressive clinical
and preclinical pipeline of novel agents, including treatments
in development for cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, and
has ongoing research in respiratory, metabolic, and infectious
diseases. CombinatoRx invented the industry’s first
combination drug discovery platform to generate new medicines,
based upon new insights into disease networks, in a broad
range of therapeutic areas. Founded in 2000 by leading
scientists from Harvard and MIT, the company has raised
$60M in venture capital and is executing on its business
strategy to rapidly build and commercialize a portfolio
of breakthrough products. For further information please
visit the CombinatoRx web-site at www.combinatorx.com
About Colitis and Crohn’s Disease
Further information on Colitis and Crohn’s disease
is available from the National Association for Colitis
and Crohn’s Disease (NACC), a UK based Charity
(www.nacc.org.uk).
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