BioSeek initiates systems biology compound evaluation collaboration with UCB

BURLINGAME, Calif.—BioSeek Inc., a company specializing in applying integrated human biology systems for developing new therapeutics, announced recently that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company based in Belgium.

 

Under the collaboration, BioSeek will apply its BioMAP Systems to evaluate a number of UCB compounds across several target classes, in support of target differentiation, lead development, and drug candidate selection activities at UCB.

 

"We are excited to be working closely with UCB, an innovative biopharmaceutical company combining distinctive strengths in chemistry and biology, and focusing on severe diseases in three important therapeutic areas, CNS, inflammation and oncology," says Dr. Michael C. Venuti, CEO of BioSeek. "This collaboration leverages the power of our systems biology technology across multiple disease areas and multiple phases of the drug development process."

 

"The BioMAP platform represents a very promising approach to applying the promise of whole-systems biology to the drug discovery and development process," adds Dr. Mark Bushfield, vice president of NCE research, UCB.BioSeek's BioMAP Systems are a series of human primary cell-based assay systems designed to replicate the intricate cell and pathway interactions present in human disease biology. Depending on their mechanism of action, compounds induce specific patterns of changes in these systems (BioMAP profiles) that can be compared to a large number of reference profiles in BioSeek's database.

 

BioMAP profiling can provide in-depth characterization of drug function, including defining mechanism of action and secondary activities, and can provide insights into potential clinical applications. In addition to characterizing previously identified lead compounds, BioSeek is using BioMAP Systems for primary screening, to rapidly generate lead compounds that have novel activity in a particular disease setting.

 

UCB is dedicated to the research, development and commercialization of innovative pharmaceutical and biotechnology products in the fields of central nervous system disorders, allergy/respiratory diseases, immune and inflammatory disorders and oncology. Employing more than 10,000 people in over 40 countries, UCB achieved revenue of E3.5 billion in 2006 on a pro forma basis.