The News

Cellzome Announces Drug Discovery Collaboration in Alzheimer's Disease with Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical

16/03/2005

Boston, USA, 16th March, 2005 – Cellzome Inc. announced today that it has entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc. under which Cellzome and Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical's affiliate, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C. (J&JPRD) will collaborate to identify new medicines for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Under the terms of the agreement, Cellzome will receive a technology access fee and research funding for two years, and is eligible for development milestone payments. Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical will have exclusive worldwide rights to products developed during the collaboration and will pay Cellzome royalties on sales. Additional financial terms were not disclosed.

Cellzome will provide access to its existing AD program technology, including insights into its Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) processing pathway map and new drug targets. Cellzome’s chemical proteomics technology and lead optimization capability along with J&JPRD's pharmaceutical research capability will be applied to identify additional compounds. Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical will have an option to license Cellzome’s Gamma Secretase Modulator program, which includes novel small molecules for development as orally active treatments. J&JPRD will provide research support for the discovery research that will be conducted at Cellzome. Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical will be responsible for development, manufacturing and commercialization of drugs that result from the collaboration.

Tim Edwards, Cellzome’s CEO, said:“This is the second major research collaboration with a leading healthcare company that we have announced in the past seven months. Our drug discovery group is delighted to be working with Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical and J&JPRD. The combined strengths of Cellzome, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, and J&JPRD will accelerate the clinical development of potential new medicines for this devastating disease.”

About Cellzome Inc.
Cellzome is a drug discovery company with world-class, proprietary proteomics technology for target and lead identification, and a drug discovery program in Alzheimer’s disease. The technology provides molecular understanding of disease and helps to identify the role of active compounds and their possible side effects, and thus provides insight into how potential drugs might behave in man.

Cellzome is currently developing a series of small-molecule gamma-secretase modulators for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. These compounds are directed towards preventing the formation of toxic amyloid species in the brain responsible for the development of the disease.

Cellzome’s strategy is to commercialise its technology through building its own pipeline of clinical products and through collaboration with leading pharmaceutical partners. To date it has signed such collaborations with Bayer HealthCare, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development (J&JPRD), a large pan-therapeutic collaboration with Novartis and, announced today, a drug discovery collaboration in Alzheimer’s disease with Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical and J&JPRD.

Cellzome is domiciled in the USA and employs about 75 people at its facilities in Cambridge, UK and Heidelberg, Germany.

About Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease and the most common cause of dementia. Approximately 20 million people worldwide are affected and at the current rate the number is expected to double by 2025.

For further information please contact:
Cellzome Inc
Tim Edwards
Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +49-6221-137 57-100
press@cellzome.com
Hogarth PR
Melanie Toyne-Sewell / John Olsen
Tel: +44 (0) 207 357 9477