Euroscreen Receives Patent Covering Methods to Identify Compounds That Bind to Chemerin Receptor

Euroscreen has been awarded a US patent for uses of Chemerin receptor and its natural ligand, Chemerin; both implicated in the control of physiological and pathological inflammatory reactions.

Brussels, Belgium (PRWEB) February 19, 2008 -- Euroscreen SA (www.euroscreen.com) today announced the issuance of a key US patent which protects the uses of Chemerin receptor and Chemerin to discover new compounds modulating its activity, in order to develop drugs with pharmaceutical potential.

Institute of Interdisciplinary Research (IRIBHM) of the Université Libre de Bruxelles, historic partner of Euroscreen has cloned and characterized Chemerin receptor, both partners collaborated on its deorphanization. Chemerin receptor is mainly expressed on dendritic cells and macrophages which are Antigen Presenting Cells (APCs), and Chemerin is a novel chemo-attractant factor that specifically attracts APCs through this receptor. Recent data also strongly suggest that the central role played by APCs both in the initiation of immune responses and in the link between innate and adaptive immunity could be regulated by Chemerin receptor and Chemerin.

The US patent (7,332,291) relates in particular to screening methods to single out compounds that modulate, either up or down, the biological activity of Chemerin receptor. Euroscreen already received similar protection in Europe. The issuance of equivalent patents in the Japan and Canada will occur in the near future. Euroscreen already has one significant sublicensee of these important patent rights.

For further licensing Information, please contact:
Euroscreen S.A.
Tel: +32 71 348 500

email: LicensingBD @ euroscreen.com

Vincent Lannoy, Ph.D.
Business Development and Licensing Manager

Jean Combalbert, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer

About Euroscreen S.A.
Euroscreen, a privately held company based in Brussels, Belgium, is a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on the discovery, development and partnering of small molecule drugs for unmet medical needs. Euroscreen is developing a pipeline of compounds targeting G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) using over 13 years of experience in research and commercialization of this critical class of drug targets. Initially, Euroscreen was a spin-off company of the "Université Libre de Bruxelles" based on GPCR reagent development and commercialization. Euroscreen is now developing drugs on internal targets such as CCR5 as well as several preclinical-stage collaborations with partners.

The Company has developed a broad target portfolio for licensing to biopharmaceutical companies. Such patents address GPCRs such as CCR5, Chemerin receptor, GPR43, GPR7/8, ORL1-R, FPRL2, purinergic receptors (P2Y4, P2Y11 and P2Y13) and SHIP2, a non-GPCR target for type II diabetes. Euroscreen is able to offer intellectual property rights to companies for the development of therapeutic drugs that act through these targets.

Euroscreen pursues a dual platform strategy of combining its internal drug discovery programs with its fully dedicated Custom Screening Business Unit (EuroSCREEN FAST), providing GPCR customized screening and other services for biotech and pharmaceutical companies around the world. The company has research and licensing partnerships with Alchemia, AstraZeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Cephalon, GNF, Grunenthal, HGS, ICOS, Medarex, Novartis and Pfizer.

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