Ionix and Tripos collaborate on discovery of novel analgesics

02-May-2002

St. Louis, MO - May 01, 2002 - Tripos, Inc., a leading provider of drug discovery chemistry, software and services announced today that it has signed an agreement with Ionix Pharmaceuticals Ltd, the European analgesic drug discovery company, to collaborate on the design and synthesis of drug-like chemical compounds for evaluation as potential inhibitors of an Ionix drug target. Under the terms of the contract, Ionix will own, further develop and commercialize drug candidates that derive from the collaboration. Tripos will receive an undisclosed amount of program funding from Ionix and downstream milestones and royalties for successful development and commercialization of product candidates.

The collaboration between the two companies will center on an ion channel drug target. Ionix utilizes ion channel drug targets that are involved in the perception and signaling of pain, with a focus on the discovery of drugs that act on molecular targets expressed in the peripheral nervous system. Drug target validation studies indicate that drugs that block this ion channel may lead to the development of potent new medicines for the treatment of chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain.

Using its proprietary informatics-driven chemistry process including LeadQuest® chemical libraries, and ChemSpace™-enabled LeadFocus™ and LeadHopping™ programs, Tripos will work with medicinal chemists at Ionix to select and synthesize compounds for the Ionix ion channel target.

Ionix' medicinal chemists will provide a number of lead structures, enabling Tripos to design, select and produce novel compound libraries. Ionix' scientists in Cambridge, England will conduct screening of compounds for target selectivity and functionality, and will undertake optimization of promising drug leads.

Phil Birch, Chief Science Officer of Ionix Pharmaceuticals said, "We are impressed by Tripos', expertise in the design of 'druggable' lead structures, their library synthesis capabilities and their commitment to advance programs quickly. We look forward to working with Tripos in order to accelerate our discovery programs."

According to Dr. Peter Hecht, Senior Vice President, Discovery Research Operations and Managing Director Tripos Receptor Research, "Ionix is the leading biotechnology company in the field of analgesic drug discovery today. We are delighted that Ionix has chosen to collaborate with Tripos in this exciting area of research. Our ability to enter this new collaboration with Ionix so soon after the initiation of a major collaboration announced in January demonstrates our expanding capacity for new discovery research projects and the continued growth of the market's acceptance of Tripos' drug discovery services."

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/10447/ionix-and-tripos-collaborate-on-discovery-of-novel-analgesics.html