AGBIOTECH: Milestone in Monsanto Project

Applied Genetics News,  August 1, 1998  

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ArQule (200 Boston Ave., Medford, MA 02155; Fax: 781/395-6018, Website: www.arqule.com) has achieved a key milestone in a project for Monsanto (600 N. Lindbergh Ave., St. Louis, MO 63167; Fax: 314/694- 6572, Website: www.monsanto.com). This project is a five-year research effort to identify novel compounds for crop protection, including herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. This is part of a series of long-term projects ArQule is carrying out in conjunction with Monsanto.

The relationship is similar to other collaborations with ArQule in that validated assays are brought to the company and run against their very large collection of compound libraries. Arqule has scores of different chemistries by which it can generate many novel compounds. This enables them to form many combinations of molecularly diverse compound sets.

The deal with Monsanto is unique because it involves screening for agricultural chemicals rather than new drugs. It is also important because it shows some of the other new directions ArQule will pursue over the next several years.

ArQule is a publicly traded company. Its drug-discovery efforts are based on key technologies, including The "Mapping Array" and the "Directed Array" programs. The company reported 1997 sales of $17.4 million, which was more than double 1996 sales. There was a commensurate growth in employees to nearly 160 workers.

Monsanto, a public company also, has made significant changes in the last 10 years, going from primarily being a chemical commodity supplier to becoming an agricultural biotechnology firm. After acquiring a number of agricultural firms, Monsanto itself was acquired by American Home Products in May 1998.

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