Tranzyme And Gemin X Announce Joint Drug Discovery Partnership
Birmingham, AL and Montreal, QC - Feb. 13, 2002 — Tranzyme, Inc., and Gemin X Biotechnologies, Inc. today announced the formation of a joint collaboration to discover and develop new drugs for the treatment of neurological disorders using Gemin X's proprietary apoptosis-regulating gene technologies. The collaboration will use Tranzyme's gene expression platform, TExT(TM). This announcement is the eighth industry partnership Tranzyme has concluded since TExT(TM) was introduced in August of last year.
Under the terms of the collaboration, Gemin X will provide Tranzyme with a proprietary gene of interest in the area of neurological disorders. The gene has important functions in apoptosis and is expected to have significant utility in treating diseases in which excess apoptosis is the etiologic factor including stroke, head trauma, and Alzheimer's disease. Tranzyme will develop cell-based assays and animal models expressing mutant and wild-type versions of the gene in order to validate its function. Gemin X and Tranzyme will then use the cell-based assays and animal models to screen small molecule drugs designed by Gemin X. Both Tranzyme and Gemin X will share all discovery and development costs. The two companies will jointly own any inventions made during the course of the collaboration.
" While our primary focus remains in the discovery and development of cancer therapeutics, this collaboration illustrates the potential of our technology to effectively regulate the apoptotic pathway across multiple disease indications," said Pierre Beauparlant, Ph.D., Director of Scientific Development for Gemin X Biotechnologies, Inc. "The combination of Tranzyme's biology and Gemin X's small molecule drug discovery and chemistry expertise represents a synergistic approach to drug discovery."
" We are extremely excited because this is Tranzyme's first partnership to demonstrate how TExT(TM) can vertically integrate the drug discovery process," said Lindsay N. Donald, DABT, Vice President of Business and Preclinical Development for Tranzyme. "Not only are we developing cell-based functional assays, but we will also create relevant animal models to identify and test lead compounds."
"Tranzyme has an internal focus on neuro-sensory diseases. Our business model is to seek several joint partnerships of this nature," added Ram Ramabhadran, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Research and Development for Tranzyme. "This collaboration unifies Tranzyme's expertise in biological approaches to discovery with Gemin X's strengths in small molecule drug discovery. We are essentially bringing the biology to drug discovery and development."
Tranzyme, Inc. (Tranzyme) is a privately held biotechnology company engaged in the development of proprietary technologies for applied genomics, proteomics, and drug discovery. Tranzyme has developed proprietary molecular approaches in genetic engineering, gene transfer, and protein expression with broad applicability. The company's technology platform includes a unique protein expression technology (TExT(TM)), a proprietary gene transfer technology (TranzVector(TM)), and a high-throughput screening and drug discovery technology (TranzAssay(TM)). Tranzyme's goal is to discover and develop new therapeutic lead compounds in partnership with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. In addition, Tranzyme is focused on building an intellectual property portfolio of novel gene function(s) and assembling its own specific gene libraries for drug discovery and development.
Gemin X Biotechnologies Inc. specializes in the discovery and development of novel cancer therapeutics. The company's expertise is in apoptosis, or programmed cell death by harnessing the body's natural defense against injured or damaged cells. Using its proprietary discovery platform, Gemin X has identified a family of small molecules that effectively inhibit the Bcl-2 protein, a validated drug target implicated in B cell lymphoma, breast, lung, prostate and colorectal cancer. Additionally, the company has programs dedicated to the identification of novel cancer targets and therapeutics; discovering small molecules that promote apoptosis in cells infected with latent viruses; and finding compounds that act against p53 independent chemo-resistant cancers. Gemin X, headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, was founded in 1998, and employs approximately 30 people.
return to top
