Sareum Regulatory News (SAR)

24 Nov 2005 07:01

Sareum Holdings PLC24 November 2005 For immediate release 24 November 2005 SAREUM HOLDINGS PLC ("Sareum" or "The Company") Success with Crystal Bank Protein Structure Resource Sareum Holdings plc (AIM: SAR), the specialist structure-based drug discoveryand services business, is pleased to announce the latest developments with its"Crystal Bank" resource of rapidly accessible protein structures first announcedin September 2005. To date, Sareum has signed three fee-for-service collaborations involvingCrystal Bank proteins, providing an important source of revenues to support itsin-house research programs. Sareum's Crystal Bank now comprises 16 therapeutically relevant proteins whichare the targets for research into many important diseases including cancer,inflammation and metabolic disorders. Example structures include GSK3 beta, p38MAP kinase, CDK2/Cyclin A2, Zap-70, Erk2 and PPAR delta. Crystal Bank protein structures are available to pharmaceutical andbiotechnology company clients in complex with their potential drug candidates ona fee-for-service basis. This information assists clients in accelerating theirdrug discovery by providing a valuable insight into the precise nature of theinteraction between these potential drug candidates and their target proteins. Commenting on the announcement, Sareum's Chief Executive Officer, Dr TimMitchell, said: "We are extremely pleased to announce this growing list ofavailable protein structures and the commercial results achieved so far. Thissuccess demonstrates our expertise in rapidly providing novel and valuableprotein structural information that will advance research into novel drugtreatments." For further information: Sareum Holdings 01223 497700Tim Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer Buchanan Communications 020 7466 5000Tim Anderson, Mary-Jane Johnson Notes for editors: About Crystal Bank Sareum's Crystal Bank is a highly valuable resource for clients requiring fastturnaround of structural data that shows how their compounds bind with selectedprotein targets. Such information accelerates the validation and selection ofnovel lead compounds and is therefore invaluable at both the hit-to-lead and thelead optimisation stages of drug discovery research. Crystal Bank is a unique and expanding collection of important protein targetsthat are known to be of significant therapeutic relevance. These proteins comefrom a range of protein classes and have all been analysed and understood to alevel where we can rapidly and cost-effectively generate ligand co-complexstructural data for our clients' compounds. The co-complex structural data, andthe associated understanding of the Structure-Activity Relationship, help ourclients to: • Prioritise leads based on actual and potential interactions with proteins • Boost ligand potency • Overcome selectivity issues • Identify sites to attach PK-modifying groups without affecting potency or selectivity • Identify lead hopping opportunities Sareum's Crystal Bank currently comprises 16 structures, including GSK3 beta,p38 MAP kinase, CDK2/Cyclin A2, Zap-70, Erk2 and PPAR delta. The full list isavailable on request. About Sareum Holdings plc Sareum Holdings plc is a specialist structure-based drug discovery and servicesbusiness headquartered in Cambridge, UK. The Company was formed in August 2003to discover new drugs for the treatment of cancer and to provide a range of drugdiscovery services to the pharmaceutical industry. Sareum's unique approach aimsto halve the time it takes to discover new drug candidates. Structure-based drug discovery involves the determination of a disease causingprotein's three-dimensional structure. Once the structure is known, novelchemical entities are designed to 'lock-in' to the protein with the aim ofreversing or arresting a disease's progression. Sareum's approach to structure-based drug discovery is to produce multiplerecombinant proteins primarily through its unique baculovirus expression system;determine their structure using x-ray crystallography; and then use itsinnovative template-molecule x-ray screening technology to identify new chemicalentities designed to interact with the target protein. Sareum then uses itshigh-throughput medicinal chemistry platform to rapidly synthesise furthermolecules and develop the most promising into potential drug candidates. Sareum provides its specialist drug discovery capabilities to partners in thepharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The Company aims to successfullydeliver: Programmes for complete gene-to-candidate structure-based discovery;projects to accelerate or improve the productivity of specific activities; anddrug candidates for licensing at the Phase I or Phase II clinical trials stage. Sareum joined the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in October 2004 andtrades under the symbol SAR. For further information, please visitwww.sareum.co.uk This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange