The News

Cellzome announces exercise of option to Alzheimer’s disease compounds by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical

23/05/2005

Boston, USA, 23rd May, 2005 – Cellzome Inc. today announced that Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc. has exercised its option to license and develop Cellzome’s Gamma Secretase Modulator (GSM) program, under the terms of their March 2005 collaboration agreement. The program includes identifying new medicines for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Under the terms of the collaboration, Cellzome will receive an additional technology access fee and continued research funding to deliver clinical drug candidates to Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical. Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, L.L.C. (J&JPRD), an affiliate of Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, will supply research support for the discovery research that will be conducted at Cellzome.

Tim Edwards, Cellzome’s CEO, said: “I am delighted that Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical has exercised its option over the Cellzome GSM project. In collaboration with J&JPRD, we are working towards identifying clinical candidates, to be tested as potential treatments for this devastating disease.”

Under the terms of the collaboration, Cellzome provides access to its existing Alzheimer’s disease 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 had 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.

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 commercialize 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, a large pan-therapeutic collaboration with Novartis and, in March 2005, a second collaboration with J&JPRD, this time a drug discovery collaboration in Alzheimer’s Disease.

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 are affected worldwide 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 Partners
Melanie Toyne-Sewell / John Olsen
Tel: +44 (0) 207 357 9477