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AURORA BIOSCIENCES™ AND Senomyx,SM INC. ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE COLLABORATION FOR THE DISCOVERY OF CONSUMER PRODUCTS ENHANCING TASTE AND OLFACTION
LA JOLLA, CA (Nov. 1, 2000) – Aurora Biosciences™ Corporation (NASDAQ: ABSC) and Senomyx, Inc.SM today announced that they have signed an exclusive collaborative research and license greement for the discovery of consumer products enhancing taste and olfaction.
Under the collaboration, Aurora will employ its proprietary green fluorescent protein ("GFP") technology and beta-lactamase reporter technology to develop screening platforms for Senomyx and will conduct ultra-high throughput screening using Aurora's instrumentation and a library of about 500,000 compounds.
Under the terms of the agreement, Senomyx was granted exclusive rights to use Aurora's functional genomics technology with over 400 of Senomyx's chemosensory gene targets for the discovery of consumer products enhancing taste and olfaction. In addition, Senomyx was granted non-exclusive rights to use Aurora's functional genomics technology with such gene targets for the discovery of therapeutic products. This agreement includes an upfront technology access fee, research funding and performance milestones. Certain therapeutic products discovered by Senomyx using Aurora's functional genomics technology are subject to downstream payment obligations to Aurora. In addition, Aurora has purchased one million shares of Senomyx's Series C Preferred Stock for $4.8 million.
"This collaboration includes the first license under Aurora's functional genomics technology specifically for the discovery of consumer products enhancing taste and olfaction. Senomyx is a leader in the field of chemosensation with a proven management team," stated Christopher Krueger, JD, MBA, Aurora's vice president, strategic alliances and legal affairs. "This is another example of how Aurora's technologies can provide value and create new commercial opportunities in industries beyond pharmaceuticals and biotechnology."
"This agreement furthers Senomyx's goal of becoming the world leader in consumer genomics and allows the company to quickly validate this large family of targets associated with taste, olfaction and vomeronasal receptors," stated Tracy Kohlenberg, vice president and corporate counsel at Senomyx.
"This collaboration accelerates the discovery process of novel molecules, unlocking the understanding of smell and taste, and helps build Senomyx's technology platform, complementing our internal genomics, biology and chemistry efforts," stated Dr. Mark Zoller, vice president for research at Senomyx.
Aurora Biosciences™ Corporation designs, develops and commercializes advanced drug discovery technologies, services and systems to accelerate the discovery of new medicines. Aurora's core technologies include a broad portfolio of proprietary fluorescence assay technologies, including its GeneBLAzer(tm) and VIPR(tm) technologies, its functional genomics GenomeScreen(tm) program, its automated master compound store, the AMCS, and its ultrahigh throughput screening system (UHTSS Platform), and subsystems to miniaturize and automate drug screening and profiling assays derived from those technologies. Aurora technologies have been commercially validated by over 15 major life sciences companies and research organizations, including American Home Products, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Eli Lilly & Co., Families of SMA, Glaxo Wellcome, Genentech, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Inc., NV Organon Laboratories, Pfizer, Inc. and Warner-Lambert Company, in the form of commercialization agreements for discovery services, licenses or systems. For additional information on Aurora's services and products, please contact Sales and Marketing via email at marcom@aurorabio.com.
Senomyx, Inc. dedicated to becoming the world leader in the discovery and commercialization of products and services relevant to the biology, genomics and chemistry of chemosensation in a broad range of potential markets, including consumer foods, fragrances, therapeutic, and industrial applications. Senomyx is assembling a matrix of technologies, including proprietary chemoreceptors involved in the detection, quantification, signal transduction and perception of mediators and modulators of taste, olfaction and other sensory modalities.
Senomyx has exclusive agreements with Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Rockefeller University and the University of California regarding various enabling technologies in the field of chemosensation. Senomyx will utilize a range of recent advances in cellular and molecular biology, genomics, combinatorial chemistry, biomolecular screening, informatics and other areas to create the first consumer genomics company. These technologies, developed to their full potential, will enrich the quality of life for consumers.
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are "forward-looking" statements which involve a high degree of technological and competitive risks and uncertainties that exist in Aurora's operations and business environment. Such statements are only predictions and Aurora's actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. In particular, forward-looking statements regarding future milestone or royalty payments or research funding from Senomyx to Aurora may differ substantially from that stated herein. Factors that could cause or contribute to differences include risks associated with Aurora's new and uncertain technology, dependence on pharmaceutical and biotechnology collaborations, and the development or availability of competing systems. These factors and others are more fully described in Aurora's Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1999, and subsequent Forms 10-Q, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Aurora assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For additional corporate information, visit the Aurora website at http://www.aurorabio.com.
GeneBLAzer™, GenomeScreen™, UHTSS™ and VIPR™ are trademarks of Aurora Biosciences™ Corporation.
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