Biacore and Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah Collaborate
Biacore and Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah Collaborate Deal validates Biacore's technology in late-stage drug discovery applications Uppsala, Sweden, April 12, 2000. Biacore International AB (Biacore) (SSE:BCOR; Nasdaq:BCOR) today announced that it has entered into a collaborative agreement with the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah (UT, USA), whereby HCI will evaluate Biacore's new prototype high performance system in analyzing the binding of small molecules to defined drug targets and in specific ADME* applications. Biacore is developing the new platform system to offer wide application downstream of high-throughput screening (HTS) in drug lead identification, optimization and characterization, and in ADME and preclinical evaluation. The aim of the system will be to reduce both drug discovery costs and time by providing better and early decision making data on drug leads. The evaluation will be led from HCI by Dr David Myszka - a renowned drug discovery strategist to major pharmaceutical companies and a key authority on the analysis of biomolecular interactions. As part of the agreement, Dr Myszka's team will test Biacore's prototype high performance system in studying the binding of small molecules to human serum albumin. "We have been very impressed with the wide variety of molecular interactions that we are able to study with Biacore's technology. The recent advancements in high-resolution functional characterization of small molecule interactions are particularly exciting. We look forward to evaluating the new Biacore system, which is poised to make a major impact in pharmaceutical drug discovery and development," said Dr Myszka, Director of Protein Interaction Facility at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Commenting on the deal Lars-Göran Andrén, Biacore's President and Chief Executive Officer said, "We very much value Dr Myszka's expertise, and his investigation will give us a powerful insight into the utility of the new system in small molecule drug binding analysis." * ADME stands for Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion and represents the pharmaceutical characterization of new drug candidates. [Reuters: BCOR.N] - Ends - This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which, by their nature, involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Notes to editors: 1 Biacore is a global market leader in affinity-based biosensor technology with its own sales operations in the U.S., across Europe, in Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The technology is protected by a strong patent portfolio. Target groups consist primarily of medical and life science research laboratories and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies all over the world. Biacore focuses on drug discovery as the prime area for future growth. The company currently has five systems on ® the market with its BIACORE 3000 system offering specific application in drug discovery processes upstream of high-throughput screening (HTS). The new high-performance system refered to in this press release will focus on applications downstream of HTS. Based in Uppsala, Sweden, the company is listed on the OM Stockholm Exchange and Nasdaq in the U.S. In 1999 the company has sales of SEK 340.4 million and an operating income of SEK 67.6 million. Further information on Biacore can be found on the web: www.biacore.com Address and phone: Biacore International AB Rapsgatan 7, SE-754 50 Uppsala, SWEDEN Phone: +46 (0)18-675700 Fax: +46 (0)18-150111 info@biacore.com 2 Huntsman Cancer Institute (University of Utah, UT, USA) has been created, through the generosity of the Huntsman Family, to find the causes of cancer, to develop new and better treatments, and to prevent people from ever developing cancer. ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/04/12/20000412BIT00680/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/04/12/20000412BIT00680/bit0002.pdf