RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Jan. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Integrated systems biology company Icoria, Inc. , announced today that it has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) to identify and validate metabolomic biomarkers associated with exposure to low-level chemical warfare agents. The agreement runs through October 2005.
The goal of the research agreement is to identify novel molecular mechanisms of action and potential targets for the development of new prophylactic and therapeutic treatments for low-level chemical warfare agent exposure and could become the basis for development of rapid, cost-effective diagnostic field tests to assess exposure in soldiers and civilians.
“This is a logical application of our research work aimed at understanding the low level effects of nerve agent exposure,” said Mr. Joseph (Jim) Zarzycki, Director of Edgewood Chemical Biological Center. “Identifying the mechanism of action of nerve agents may provide useful information to help us in our mission to protect soldiers, civilians and first responders.”
Icoria will use gene expression and metabolic profiling through mass spectrometry with its proprietary data analysis and pathway informatics tools to study the blood and selected organs of rats exposed to low levels of VX gas to identify biomarkers. Contingent on future funding, Icoria and ECBC may conduct additional studies and work to develop a prototype blood-based field assay.
The company has demonstrated the strength of its metabolomics and systems biology approach in toxicology studies in work it has conducted on brevetoxin in conjunction with the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. An abstract on that research, entitled “Use of Metabolomics to Identify Biomarkers for Brevetoxin Exposure” by A. Bourdelais et al, will be presented at the Society of Toxicology’s annual meeting in March.
“We are delighted to see continued recognition of the role metabolomics can play in increasing the power and predictability of toxicology studies,” said Peter Johnson, M.D., Icoria’s Chief Medical Officer and Chief Business Officer. “Using biomarkers to improve diagnostics and monitoring of exposure is an important step in realizing the real power of systems biology in drug development. We believe Icoria’s approach to using metabolomics and biomarkers can help companies develop safer, more effective drugs more quickly and cost effectively.”
Under the agreement, all testing of the chemical warfare agents will be handled by the ECBC. Icoria will perform only post-exposure analyses of tissue and serum after these short-lived chemical agents are no longer present.
About Icoria
Icoria, Inc. is a biotechnology company dedicated to deciphering the complexity of biological processes through the application of systems biology to identify biomarkers for drug discovery and development, diagnostics and to develop novel agrichemicals. Icoria has major contracts with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Monsanto Company and Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. (a subsidiary of DuPont). Icoria also has a major grant from the National Institute of Standards & Technology’s Advanced Technology Program. For more information, visit http://www.icoria.com/ .
This press release contains forward-looking statements including but not limited to the Company’s expectations for its systems biology platform and the potential outcomes of the cooperative research agreement. Such forward- looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to a number of risks, factors and uncertainties that may cause actual results, events and performance to differ materially from those referred to in the forward-looking statements. These risks, factors and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, Icoria’s ability to identify molecules that are significant markers of low-level exposure to chemical warfare agents, the suitability of these markers for use in developing drugs or diagnostics, the ability to obtain funding for phase II of the CRADA, Icoria’s early stage of development, history of net losses, technological and product development uncertainties, reliance on research collaborations, uncertainty of additional funding and ability to protect its patents and proprietary rights. Certain of these and other risks are identified in Icoria’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003 and in its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2004, each filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this release to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations, except as may be required by law.
Icoria, Inc.
CONTACT: Media/Public Relations of Icoria, Inc., +1-919-425-2999; orBrian Ritchie or Mark Vincent, both of EURO RSCG Life NRP, +1-212-845-4200
Web site: http://www.icoria.com/
