Author name: ASolia

InterMed Discovery GmbH and Axxam SpA Announce Joint Research Agreement for the Identification of Novel Natural Functional Ingredients InterMed Discovery (IMD), an emerging world class natural product lead-discovery company, and Axxam, a leading discovery company, are pleased to announce that their joint research efforts have proved to be successful in providing a technology platform that offers, in addition to screening solutions, the discovery of natural bioactive compounds. These bioactive compounds are particularly valuable to companies in the food, beverages, flavour and fragrance industries. Based on these results, both companies have therefore signed a second partnership agreement to further combine the expert platforms of IMD and Axxam. The combined technology platform offers an integrated approach to the screening, discovery and profiling of innovative natural sources-derived functional ingredients for various life science applications. The joint research will focus on the mutual discovery and validation of Flavour/Fragrance functional ingredients, which will then be offered to food, beverages, flavour and fragrance companies. The proprietary compounds that are discovered will have clearly defined activity profiles and naturally-derived chemical properties, making them much more valuable to the customers wishing to utilize them.

Axxam awarded substantial funding by the Regione Lombardia (Metadistretti) to support an innovative drug discovery project Axxam announced that a consortium led by Axxam spa has been awarded a grant of EUR 1 million from the Regione Lombardia (Metadistretti) towards a EUR 2.5 million R&D program aimed at identifying and developing innovative Nav 1.7 sodium channel blockers for the treatment of pain. This specific grant is intended to accelerate the development of innovative technologies and products in the local non-food biotechnology cluster (metadistretto). Funds are awarded on the basis of the scientific, technical and economic merit of each proposal. Axxam has applied for funding in order to finance an internal research program aimed at developing new approaches for the identification of drug candidates, based on its proprietary HTS technologies for lead identification. The grant is non-refundable and will cover R&D expenses over a 36 month period. Axxam’s partners in the consortium are Newron Pharmaceuticals spa, a research and development company focused on novel CNS and pain therapies, and Primm srl, a service company focused on several technology platforms, as well as academic groups at the University of Milan Bicocca. Axxam spa, as Project coordinator, will provide its ion channel drug discovery platform, including target expression, proprietary HTS technologies and screening libraries. Newron spa will contribute with its expertise in sodium channel electrophysiology and pain pharmacology, whereas Primm srl will provide its specific expertise in protein expression and peptide chemistry. This substantial financing from the Regione Lombardia provides important support to Axxam’s internal research programmes and business strategy.

Axxam announces the acquisition of molecular screening technologies and related intellectual property rights from Bayer HealthCare AG Axxam, a leading science-driven biotechnology company which provides early-stage discovery research for the life science industry, has signed an agreement for the acquisition of molecular screening technologies and related patent rights from Bayer HealthCare AG. The Bayer technologies covered in this agreement involve reporter gene applications and related technologies including: a novel photoprotein for Ca2+ mobilisation assays a novel secreted luciferase for reporter gene applications a real time non-invasive luminescence-based cAMP detection method This agreement will enhance Axxam’s growing molecular screening technologies patent portfolio. In particular, Axxam seeks patent protection to cover discoveries which include new Ca2+ activated photoproteins with improved light generation, innovative reporter gene systems and novel Green Fluorescence Proteins (GFPs), as well as new applications in the field of embryonic stem cell research that stably express reporter genes, such as photoproteins and transgenic animals capable of expressing the photoproteins in vivo. These proprietary technologies will further strengthen Axxam’s position as a premier discovery partner for the life science industry.

Genedata and Axxam Announce High Throughput Screening Data Analysis Collaboration Genedata, the leading provider of in silico solutions for the pharmaceutical and life science industries, and Axxam, a leading biotechnology research organization offering early-stage discovery research services for the life science industry, have signed a multi-year contract for the implementation of the Genedata Screener®data analysis and management platform into Axxam’s high throughput screening process. With an increasing number of pharma and life science companies outsourcing entire stages of their research cycle, the contributions of contract research organizations (CROs) to drug development have never been more crucial. Faster development, earlier decisions on project failures, and higher approval success rates are becoming the norm. To continuously meet those high standards, Axxam relies on Genedata Screener. Screener’s high-quality, high-performance modular system rapidly and flexibly analyzes, integrates and manages all assay data and then combines it with chemical, pharmacological and in vivo information to support Axxam scientists in prioritizing compounds and identifying quality lead structures with the highest confidence. Screener’s open and scalable architecture integrates with existing infrastructures, which allows it to be tailored to specific discovery processes, maximizing value.

Axxam and PerkinElmer Sign Exclusive Licensing & R&D Collaboration Agreement for Photina® Technology Axxam, a science-driven biotechnology company focused on early-stage discovery research and services for the life science industry, and PerkinElmer, a global technology leader in Health Sciences and Photonics, have signed a global licensing agreement whereby PerkinElmer will become the exclusive provider of the Axxam Photina® photoprotein technology to the drug discovery market. Axxam retains the rights to use the technology for its discovery services to third parties, as assay development, high-throughput screening (HTS) and compound profiling, as well as for any further application of development of this technology. This agreement does not affect current discovery service contracts. The terms of the agreement also provide for a formal research and development program between Axxam and PerkinElmer to develop additional Photina® GPCR and ion channel cell lines for use in high throughput screening and compound profiling. The Photina® technology is a luminescent cell-based assay platform optimized for screening important drug discovery targets, including G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and ion channels.

Axxam & InterMed Discovery Offer Integrated Screening Discovery Services from Natural Products for Flavor & Fragrance Industry Axxam and InterMed Discovery announced a three-year collaboration to provide complete screening solutions for the identification of bioactive compounds from natural sources to the flavor and fragrance industries. Axxam will provide assays and carry out the screening. InterMed will provide the naturally-derived chemical matter, and screening samples, as well as deconvolution and scale-up of the identified compounds. Together the discovery service providers offer integrated solutions for the discovery and scale-up of bioactive product candidates derived from natural sources, such as plants, fungi and microorganisms. The complementary tools and know-how of both companies will simplify the discovery process for clients from the food, beverages, flavor and fragrance industries.

Axxam Announces Two Discovery Collaboration Agreements with Boehringer Ingelheim Axxam announced that the discovery research and services company has entered into two drug research collaboration agreements with Boehringer Ingelheim. The first collaboration agreement aims to identify and validate therapeutic targets with subsequent assay development, high-throughput screening (HTS) and lead optimization through the joint efforts of Axxam and Boehringer Ingelheim researchers. The second agreement covers the transfer of protein material and a corresponding specific functional assay for high-throughput screening (HTS) to Boehringer Ingelheim. Axxam will receive fees as the collaboration progresses and milestone payments for successful exploitation of results through development stages. Further financial details of the agreements are not disclosed.

Axxam Appoints Rose A. Lance to Lead Business Development in North America Axxam has appointed Rose A. Lance to lead the company’s business development efforts in North America. Based in Boston, MA in the United States, Ms. Lance will be responsible for marketing and promotion of discovery services and products for the rapidly-growing biotechnology company. She has more than 20 years of experience performing market analysis, in-licensing, product management, strategic planning and forecasting in life science markets. Before joining Axxam, Rose A. Lance conducted business development for 454 Life Sciences in Brandford, CT. Previously, she worked for companies such as Boehringer Mannheim, NovoNordisk and DAKO Corp. Rose received her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Southern Illinois University, USA.

Axxam recognized as Young Innovative Company 2006 with Premio Unioncamere award The contribution of Axxam to Italian business was rewarded by Unioncamere, the organization uniting all of the Italian Chambers of Commerce, with the recent presentation in Rome of the prestigious Premio Unioncamere. Axxam received the Young Innovative Company award for 2006. The company was one of 14 entrepreneurs chosen from 300 nominations of companies from all over Italy.

Axxam Provides Screening Assays to NIH Chemical Genomics Centre for Collaboration on NIH Roadmap Initiative Axxam announced today that it has signed an agreement with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide access to a selection of screening assays of special interest to the NIH Chemical Genomics Centre (NCGC) for use in the screening campaigns within the Molecular Libraries Roadmap Initiative. The screening assays were developed and optimized at Axxam for ultra high-throughput screening (uHTS) applications using ultra sensitive signal detection methods. “We are very pleased to collaborate with the NIH Chemical Genomics Centre in support of their screening efforts,” stated Dr. Lia Scarabottolo, head of cell biology at Axxam. “We believe that our expertise in the uHTS sector, with a particular emphasis on cell-based assays and their use in large screening campaigns, could provide an important contribution to the future success of the Roadmap initiative at the NCGC.” About the NCGC and the NIH Roadmap Initiative The NCGC is an ultrahigh-throughput screening and chemistry centre which discovers chemical probes of gene and cell functions across the genome using its quantitative HTS (qHTS) technology, and develops new paradigms for screening that enable chemical genomics and downstream drug development. Located within the National Human Genome Research Institute as part of the NIH Roadmap, all of the NCGC’s results are made freely available via PubChem (http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). NIH Roadmap for Medical research is a series of far-reaching initiatives designed to transform the Nation’s medical research capabilities and speed the movement of scientific discoveries from the bench to the bedside. It provides a framework of the priorities the NIH must address in order to optimize its entire research portfolio and lays out a vision for a more efficient and productive system of medical research. Additional information about the NCGC can be found at www.ncgc.nih.gov, about the NIH Roadmap at http://nihroadmap.nih.gov, and about the NIH at www.nih.gov.