Genetic Engineering News Reports on Biotechnology Research on Protease Inhibitors

Business Wire, May 24, 2004

Business Editors

LARCHMONT, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 24, 2004

Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies are discovering new applications for protease inhibitors in research involving cancer, asthma, diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, and hepatitis, reports Genetic Engineering News (GEN)(www.genengnews.com). Scientists are relying on a range of techniques to determine how these molecules, which many people associate with AIDS research, can be transformed into new drugs for a host of other diseases, according to the May 15 issue of GEN.

"Genomics, homology modeling, protein crystallography, and NMR are just several of the methods being employed to better understand protease inhibitors," says John Sterling, Editor-in-Chief of GEN.

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development is working on novel tryptase inhibitors for the treatment of asthma. The company has found that inhibitors of mast cell beta-tryptase have therapeutic potential for treatment of allergic or inflammatory disorders.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals is looking at the inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase IV as a mechanistic approach of potential value in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Researchers at Caliper Life Sciences (NASDAQ:CALP) developed tools to speed the discovery of protease and kinase substrates as well as to accelerate a broad range of assays while Celera Genomics (NYSE:CRA) is investigating cathepsin K (Cat K) inhibitors as potential therapeutics to treat osteoporosis.

Also described in the GEN article on protease inhibitors are projects going on at Millennium Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:MLNM) and at Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT).

Genetic Engineering News is published 21 times a year by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. For a copy of the May 15 issue, please call 914-834-3100, ext. 623, or email: ebicovny@liebertpub.com.