COLOGNE, Germany, November 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Artemis Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Cologne announced today that it hassigned a research agreement with Merck & Co., Inc. to construct a largenumber of shRNA interference ("shRNAi ") - genetically engineered mousemodels for the in vivo functional analysis of selected disease related genes.The agreement represents a significant initiative to undertake a large-scaleapproach to gene function analysis using shRNA knock down in geneticallyengineered mice as models for human biology.
Under the terms of the agreement, Artemis will generategenetically engineered shRNAi "knock down" mouse models for Merck usingArtemis' proprietary, optimized and fully integrated vector construction, EScell transfection and inducible RNAi technology. Merck will provide selectedshRNA sequences that correspond to mouse genes that may also play a centralrole in human diseases. Artemis will use its technologies to achieveconstitutive as well as inducible functional down-regulation of theexpression of the gene targets provided by Merck.
Artemis is the first company to have developed a robustmethodology for the controlled induction of shRNA based gene knock down inadult mice. This inducible system permits the down-regulation of a selectedtarget gene to be turned on and off thereby more closely modeling the dosingof a pharmacologic inhibitor. The generation time for such a mouse model atArtemis is only four months.
"We are highly pleased to establish this research serviceagreement with Merck & Co. Inc.," said Prof. Peter Stadler, Managing Directorof Artemis. "This agreement further expands our broad and successful ongoingrelationship with Merck. It definitively provides evidence of the greatinterest in using our RNAi technology on a broad basis for drug discoveryresearch. Disease related genes can be carefully analyzed in adult mousemodels by combining shRNA technology with our methodologies to generate thesemouse models for in vivo phenotypic characterization. For the first time everit's now possible to generate large numbers of mouse models within a timeframe previously thought unachievable. We at Artemis believe our technologyplatform is broadly applicable throughout the biotechnology andpharmaceutical industry."
About Artemis
Artemis Pharmaceuticals has developed the worldwide leading portfolio ofscientific and technological tools in murine molecular genetics andfunctional genomics. It offers custom-made genetically engineered mousemodels for use at various stages of the industrial drug discovery process orfor academic research.
Artemis has formed a strategic alliance with Taconic, one of the world'sleading breeders of laboratory rodents. This alliance enables the generationand delivery of genetically modified in vivo models to the customers in anunpreceeded speed and quality.
Artemis customers include the majority of the leading pharmaceuticalcompanies including Merck & Co., Inc., Sanofi-Aventis, Bayer AG, BoehringerIngelheim, Astra Zeneca, Glaxo Smith Kline, Schering AG, Bristol-MyersSquibb, Lilly, Merck KGaA, Biovitrum AB, and other pharma companies andbiotech firms as well as various Academic Research Institutions worldwide.
Artemis is a wholly owned subsidiary of Exelixis, Inc., South SanFrancisco, CA. USA (Nasdaq:EXEL) since 2001.
www.artemispharma.de
For further information please contact: Artemis Pharmaceuticals GmbH Monika Hahn Neurather Ring 1 51063 Köln Germany Tel: +49-221-96453-10 Fax: +49-221-96453-21 m.hahn@artemispharma.de
Artemis Pharmaceuticals GmbH
For further information please contact: Artemis Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Monika Hahn, Neurather Ring 1, 51063 Köln, Germany, Tel: +49-221-96453-10, Fax: +49-221-96453-21, m.hahn@artemispharma.de
