CeNeS and Tripos announce advances in COMT inhibitor discovery program.(Brief Article)

CytRx Corporation (Los Angeles, CA) reported substantial progress in its drug discovery programs aimed at using its proprietary RNA interference (RNAi) technologies to develop novel molecular medicines to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes. "During the past year, CytRx-sponsored research programs have discovered and validated approximately 30 new type 2 ......

Lexicon Genetics, Inc. (The Woodlands, TX) has discovered a new role in the immune system for a secreted protein that may serve as a target for the development of drugs to treat inflammation associated with arthritis and autoimmune disease. Lexicon said it has moved the protein into its drug discovery ......

Bionomics Limited (Australia) has been advised of the grant in New Zealand of a patent relating to its ion channel drug discovery target. The granted patent relates to the link between the GABA-A receptor and certain central nervous system disorders, including epilepsy and anxiety. This is the second of Bionomics' ......

InterMune, Inc. announced the presentation of preclinical data on the discovery and characterization of a number of potent and selective small molecule inhibitors of the hepatitis C (HCV) NS3/4 protease. These molecules are part of InterMune's robust HCV protease inhibitor program and demonstrate promising potency, bioavailability and metabolic stability in ......

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (San Diego, CA) announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued Arena a patent entitled "Non-Endogenous, Constitutively Activated Human Protein Coupled Receptors." This patent, United States Patent 6,555,339, covers one of Arena's proprietary methods of constitutively activating G protein-coupled receptors, or GPCRs, to facilitate drug ......

GPC Biotech AG (Munich, Germany; 49 89 8565-2691) announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued two patents covering geranylgeranyl transferase type 1 (GGTase) as an anti-fungal drug target. The GGTase program is the company's most advanced anti-fungal drug discovery program. These patents provide GPC Biotech with ......

Australian Cancer Technology Limited (Melbourne, Australia) and BioFocus plc are pleased to announce promising results from their joint discovery program. Compounds have been discovered that are both potent and show efficacy against the key drug target, Chk1 Kinase. Dr Roger Aston, Chairman of AustCancer, said, "Kinase inhibitors are one of ......