Munich (Germany) – October 29th, 2013 – BICOLL Group announces today to receive the first payment as participant and work package leader in the EpimiRNA consortium. Recently the whole consortium was granted up to €11.5 Million funding by the European Union over the next five years. BICOLL is responsible for the consortium’s small molecule drug discovery program and drive this first-ever large-scale approach in epilepsy research with its effective technology of fractionated plant extracts. BICOLL’s Profiles™ technology evidentially leads to the identification of potent small molecules as ligands with an unprecedented rapidity. In parallel the unique technology enables rapid and reliable in vivo target validation studies for the to-be established screening systems. BICOLL is also tasked to support the consortium with its medicinal chemistry competence once small molecules are identified.
The causes for epilepsy are not yet sufficiently understood and treatments remain deficient while over 50 million people across the world suffer from this most common serious neurological disorder. Recent discoveries have identified a new type of molecule in cells called microRNA, which may be critical to controlling the changes in brain chemistry that accompany the development and course of epilepsy.
The EpimiRNA consortium, initiated by BICOLL, represents a major interdisciplinary effort involving 16 partners from 8 European countries, the USA and Brazil to uncover the complete spectrum of effects of microRNA in epilepsy. Epilepsy researchers, geneticists, clinicians, experts in advanced molecular sciences and research-active life sciences companies will work together to understand molecular mechanisms and develop diagnostics as well as novel small molecule therapeutics.
“BICOLL’s plant Profiles™ just recently proved their effectiveness again1, and we are very excited to see plant Profiles™ now applied in the emerging area of microRNA manipulation”, comments Dr. Kai Lamottke, managing director of BICOLL. “Driving the consortium’s small molecule drug approach we are able to include associated partners from pharmaceutical and biotech industry to the EpimiRNA consortium. We are now looking for such partners, who want to secure access to the consortium’s findings early on and broaden the impact of their as well of the consortium’s research”.
The project is funded by the European Union’s ‘Seventh Framework’ Programme (FP7/ http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home_en.html) under grant agreement n°602130 from September 2013 to August 2018 and coordinated by Professor David Henshall, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland with Professor Felix Rosenow at Philipps University Marburg (Germany) as co-coordinator. For a more detailed description of the project see: www.epimirna.eu .
About BICOLL:
BICOLL is a biopharmaceutical company, offering pre-clinical support in the area of Drug Discovery from Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry. Dedicated to the discovery and optimization of the highest quality lead compounds, BICOLL provides an efficient, multi-disciplinary approach to drug discovery. With outstanding expertise in high tech natural product chemistry and validated experience in medicinal chemistry, BICOLL increases quality and quantity of the drug discovery pipeline of its partner’s candidates portfolio.
The BICOLL Group provides its services to a number of international clients of various fields of interest, e.g. pharmaceutical and agrochemical industry. The BICOLL Group comprises two legal entities: BICOLL GmbH in Munich, Germany and BICOLL Biotechnology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., P.R. China. Technology development, cooperation management and marketing are functions in Munich, while facilities for research and development are located in Shanghai.
BICOLL currently employs 40 people at both locations.
www.bicoll-group.com
Contact BICOLL:
Dr. Nicole Feling, Public Relations Management
+49 (0) 89 / 82010630,
nicole.feling@bicoll-group.com
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