MECHELEN, Belgium and NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- The High Q Foundation Inc., a foundation that supports research aimed at finding diagnoses, treatments, cures and preventions of Huntington Disease, and Galapagos (Nasdaq:CRXL), a genomics-based drug discovery company, today announced that they have reached agreement in principle for a two-year target discovery alliance. The organizations will apply Galapagos' adenoviral siRNA (SilenceSelect(r)) and cDNA (FLeXSelect(r)) collections and expertise in biology driven target discovery and validation of novel drug targets for the development of new Huntington Disease therapies. Galadeno, Galapagos' partnering unit, will perform the research in this collaboration. Under the terms of the agreement, Galapagos may receive up to 2.4 million ($3 million) from the High Q Foundation. In addition, Galapagos has the option to further develop certain targets identified in the program. It is anticipated that the final agreement will be signed before October 1, 2005.
"We are very pleased with this alliance. Working with the High Q Foundation provides the resources for Galapagos to use our adenoviral collections and biological screening expertise to discover drug targets for Huntington Disease," said Onno van de Stolpe, CEO of Galapagos. "Following our alliance with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation earlier this year, it is gratifying that we again are given the opportunity to apply our technology to a disease area where there is a great need for a treatment."
"We selected Galapagos to identify novel targets for Huntington Disease because of their well established and proven discovery platform," said Dr. Ethan Signer, Senior Scientific Advisor to High Q. "We are hopeful that the collaboration will result in novel targets that could aid in the development of a new treatment for Huntington Disease."
About Huntington Disease
Huntington Disease is a familial disease, passed from parent to child through a mutation in a gene. Each child of an Huntington Disease parent has a 50-50 chance of inheriting the Huntington Disease gene which causes programmed degeneration of brain cells and results in emotional disturbance, loss of intellectual faculties and uncontrolled movements. Most people with Huntington Disease develop the symptoms at midlife but in some people onset occurs in infancy or old age. The average survival time after onset is approximately fifteen to twenty years. It is estimated that about one in every 10,000 persons has the Huntington Disease gene. At this time, there is no way to stop or reverse the course of Huntington Disease.
About High Q Foundation and CHDI, Inc.
The High Q Foundation, Inc. (High Q) and CHDI Inc. are non-profit organizations that share the mission of bringing together academia, industry, governmental agencies, and other funding organizations in the search for Huntington disease treatments.
High Q supports Huntington Disease research aimed at target identification and validation, the development and use of animal models, drug delivery, and the search for markers of disease progression. For more information about High Q and its support of Huntington Disease research please see www.highqfoundation.org or contact Ethan Signer (ethan.signer@highqfoundation.org) or Allan Tobin (allan.tobin@highqfoundation.org).
CHDI, Inc. is pursuing a biotech approach to rapidly discover and develop drugs that prevent or slow Huntington Disease. Through collaborations with industrial and academic partners, CHDI, Inc., participates in all aspects of drug discovery and development from high throughput screening to preclinical development. For more information about CHDI, Inc. and its collaborative programs please see www.chdi-inc.org or contact Robert Pacifici (robert.pacifici@chdi-inc.org).
About Galapagos
Galapagos is a publicly traded, genomics-based drug discovery company (Euronext Brussels:GLPG) (Euronext Amsterdam:GLPGA) that has successfully discovered and validated novel targets in the bone and joint diseases -- osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as in asthma and Alzheimer's disease. Proprietary targets and compounds resulting from these programs are used for Galapagos' internal drug discovery programs, combined with selected out-licensing and partnering of projects during development. Galadeno, Galapagos' partnering unit, provides reagents and functional screens to leading pharmaceutical, biotech and nutraceutical companies for rapid identification and validation of novel drug targets. Galapagos currently employs 71 people, including 17 PhDs, and occupies facilities in Mechelen, Belgium, and Leiden, The Netherlands. Galapagos' partners include Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Vertex and Wyeth. More information about Galapagos and Galadeno can be found at www.glpg.com.