FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MADISON, WISCONSIN, USA – January 19, 2006 – QBI Life Sciences, a division of Quintessence Biosciences, Inc., announced the formation of a partnership with the Keck UWCCC Small Molecule Screening Center at the University of Wisconsin and the Drug Discovery and Development Technology Center at the University of Helsinki, Finland. With this partnership, QBI Life Sciences secured a $175,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the NIH’s Roadmap for Medical Research to develop a high-throughput molecular screening platform for membrane protein targets.
The focus of the grant is to develop a high-throughput screening (HTS) assay to measure interactions of drug metabolizing enzymes with small molecule drugs. The aim is to develop a biochemical in vitro assay that would provide an early indication of potentially harmful drug-drug interactions in patients. Central to the work under this grant is the use of PreserveX™ Polymeric Micelles previously developed by QBI Life Sciences. PreserveX™ Polymeric Micelles enable the extraction and solubilization of membrane proteins (including drug metabolizing enzymes), thereby supporting the development of biochemical assays. When solubilized with PreserveX™ Polymeric Micelles, membrane proteins maintain their activity for extended periods, even under dilute conditions and at room temperature.
“The ability to extend our HTS assay capabilities to membrane proteins will be a significant breakthrough in our current capabilities, and will enable us to better serve the academic and industrial partners using our screening facilities,” said Professor F. Michael Hoffmann of the Small Molecule Screening Center at the University of Wisconsin. “Achievement of the aims under this grant will lead to assays that quickly identify safety issues of drugs long before their use in people.”
Dr. Moshe Finel, Chief Research Scientist and Head of the Molecular Biology Laboratory of the Drug Discovery and Development Technology Center of the University of Helsinki, Finland, pointed out, “Development of fluorescence-based biochemical assays for membrane proteins represents an important breakthrough in drug discovery research. The QBI Life Sciences approach to address the problem of developing assays with membrane proteins is very timely, novel, and promising.”
About the Keck-UWCCC Small Molecule Screening Facility
Operational in May 2003, the Keck-UWCCC Small Molecule Screening Facility provides University of Wisconsin investigators with cost-effective access to high-throughput screening of structurally-diverse, drug-like chemicals in biological assays provided by the investigators.
About the Drug Discovery and Development Technology Center
Established in 2000, the Drug Discovery and Development Technology Center is an interdisciplinary research project of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Objectives of the research center are to develop a strong environment for drug discovery research, to bring key technologies to the international forefront, to discover new drug candidates, and to educate high-level researchers.
About QBI Life Sciences
QBI Life Sciences is a division of Quintessence Biosciences, Inc. QBI Life Sciences is focused on the development and supply of polymeric solutions useful for research on biological membranes and their components. The aim of the Company’s product development efforts is to enable new areas of research.
About Quintessence Biosciences, Inc.
Quintessence Biosciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of cancer and viral therapies. The aim of the Company’s product development efforts is to develop effective therapies that do not have the side effects normally associated with existing treatments.
For more information, visit
http://www.hts.wisc.edu, http://www.ddtc.helsinki.fi/, http://www.qbilifesci.com, and http://www.quintbio.com.
