Emerald BioStructures and UCB Group Announce Multi-year Extension of Structure-Based Drug Discovery Collaboration for Multiple Targets

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Emerald BioStructures today announced a three-year extension of its ongoing collaboration with UCB. The strategic aspects of this renewed relationship will provide Emerald with research funding over the three-year period and the opportunity to receive milestones and royalties on future drug product revenues.

“The collaborative nature of our relationship with the team at Emerald BioStructures has been instrumental in elucidating multiple targets and identifying promising, novel lead compounds in our discovery programs,” commented Dr. Ismail Kola, President, UCB NewMedicines.

Emerald will apply its high-throughput crystallography and ligand characterization expertise to provide fragment screening and structural biology support for UCB’s severe diseases discovery programs. Emerald and UCB first entered into collaboration in February 2009.

“It is our mission to enable companies like UCB with structural insights,” commented Diana Wetmore, VP of Business Development and Alliances at Emerald BioStructures. “We are very excited about moving into this new phase with UCB, expanding our role in the discovery of breakthrough medicines for unmet needs.”

Meet Emerald BioStructures at BIOEurope in Dusseldorf, Germany – October 31-November 2

Diana Wetmore, VP of Business Development and Alliances at Emerald BioStructures, will be participating in the partnering forum at BIOEurope in Dusseldorf, Germany and is available for select one-on-one meetings with interested parties.

About UCB

UCB, Brussels, Belgium (www.ucb.com) is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines and solutions to transform the lives of people living with severe diseases of the immune system or of the central nervous system. With more than 8 500 people in about 40 countries, the company generated revenue of EUR 3.2 billion in 2010. UCB is listed on Euronext Brussels (symbol: UCB).

About Emerald BioStructures

Emerald BioStructures is an integrated gene-to-structure contract research organization that provides collaborative drug discovery services to pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, academic institutions, and government facilities. The company operates a high-throughput platform leveraged for fragment-based lead discovery, structure-based drug design, and elucidation of antibody-antigen structures. Emerald’s work provides a solid foundation for the discovery of highly selective, efficacious drugs. www.emeraldbiostructures.com

Contacts

For Emerald BioStructures:

Diana Wetmore, 206-780-8959

or

For Media:

MacDougall Biomedical Communications

Jennifer Conrad, 781-235-3060

Back to news