TULARIK INC. AND ROCHE BIOSCIENCE SIGN AGREEMENT TO DEVELOP ANTI-INFLAMMATORY THERAPEUTICS THAT REGULATE PRO-INFLAMMATORY GENES
PALO ALTO, Calif., June 12, 1997 -- Roche Bioscience and Clontech
South San Francisco and Palo Alto, Calif., July 23, 1997 - Tularik Inc. and Roche Bioscience announced today the signing of a five-year collaboration to discover and develop orally-active drugs that act through the regulation of targets within pro-inflammatory signaling pathways. The drug targets include regulatory proteins discovered at Tularik.
While financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, Roche Bioscience will provide Tularik financial support for its research and drug discovery efforts. Each company retains marketing rights for drugs to treat specific diseases.
"Our common interest in pro-inflammatory signaling pathways makes this collaboration with Roche Bioscience an exciting endeavor for both companies, " said David V. Goeddel, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Tularik. "Tularik scientists have made significant advances in characterizing the intracellular mechanisms that generate inflammatory responses and in adapting these discoveries to proprietary screens for small molecules that inhibit key pathways."
Robert Booth, Ph.D., senior vice president and head of the Inflammatory Diseases Unit of Roche Bioscience, said, "Recent clinical studies have clearly demonstrated that certain cytokines are key mediators of the inflammatory response in a variety of disease states. Tularik has proven expertise in the elucidation of signaling pathways of cytokines. This alliance will provide us with a series of novel targets and chemical leads to enhance our drug discovery and development portfolios in the area of inflammatory diseases."
When a foreign organism or allergen invades the body, it triggers an inflammatory response. Inflammation can also result when the body inappropriately generates an immune response to its own tissues. Cells at the site of inflammation activate genes that lead to dilation of blood vessels, increased blood flow, recruitment of white blood cells and an increase in defensive or immune system molecules. These events cause tenderness, swelling and, ultimately, the tissue damage associated with inflammatory disorders. Scientists at Tularik have discovered a number of the key gene regulatory proteins involved in these processes and have begun high-throughput screening for therapeutic agents that block their inflammatory effects.
Roche Bioscience is a research-based, product-focused organization dedicated to the discovery and accelerated, early clinical development of innovative prescription drugs. Roche Bioscience is a member of the Roche Group, which has headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. The Roche Bioscience website is available at www.roche.com/bioscience.
Tularik Inc. is focused on the discovery and development of therapeutic agents that act through the regulation of gene expression. By deciphering the molecular mechanisms that lead to altered expression of a given human gene in a specific disease state, Tularik scientists identify selective targets for therapeutic intervention. Tularik is advancing six therapeutic programs, including viral diseases, hypercholesterolemia, immune disorders, inflammation, bacterial diseases and obesity. In addition to its collaboration with Roche Bioscience, Tularik has established strategic partnerships with Merck & Co., Inc., Sumitomo Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Taisho Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. and Japan Tobacco Inc. Tularik is based in South San Francisco and is privately held. For additional information, visit the Tularik Internet website at www.tularik.com.
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