Galapagos NV has announced the extension of the target discovery alliance between its service division BioFocus DPI and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, Inc. (CFFT), the drug discovery and development affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
This 15-month extension exceeds €800,000 in research fees and builds further on the alliance initiated in April 2005. As recently presented at the 20th annual North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference in Denver, BioFocus DPI is applying its SilenceSelect adenoviral library and expertise in assay design to discover novel drug targets for the development of new cystic fibrosis therapies.
"The project to discover novel targets for cystic fibrosis is proceeding very well, and we are therefore pleased and proud that Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics has extended the alliance. This will enable BioFocus DPI to deliver validated targets as the basis for the development of new medicines," said Onno van de Stolpe, chief executive officer of Galapagos. "It is particularly gratifying that our target discovery engine is being applied to the unmet medical needs addressed by patient foundations such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation."
"We are pleased with the quality of the results achieved to date in the alliance. BioFocus DPI's innovative target discovery platform is poised to deliver promising targets for the treatment of cystic fibrosis," said Robert J. Beall, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. "Our interactions with this team have been very positive and bode well for a successful outcome of this alliance."
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease affecting approximately 30,000 children and adults in the US alone. A defective gene causes the body to produce abnormally thick, sticky mucus that blocks the airways, leading to life-threatening lung infections, and that obstructs the pancreas, causing difficulty absorbing food. The median life expectancy of CF patients has improved from early childhood to the mid-30s today, but many individuals battle lung disease for years.
The mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is to assure the development of the means to cure and control CF and to improve the quality of life for those with the disease. With money raised through donations from individuals, corporations and foundations since its establishment in 1955, the CF Foundation supports research and care to continue adding tomorrows every day to the lives of those with CF.
CFFT is the non-profit drug discovery and development affiliate of the CF Foundation. CFFT supports and governs activities related to CF drug discovery through drug development and clinical evaluation. The CF Foundation provides support to fund CFFT's operations, specifically the Therapeutics Development Program.
Galapagos is a publicly traded, genomics-based drug discovery company (Euronext Brussels, GLPG; Euronext Amsterdam, GLPGA, London AiM: GLPG) that has drug discovery programs based on proprietary, novel targets in bone and joint diseases, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Galapagos offers a full suite of target-to-drug discovery products and services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies through its division BioFocus DPI, encompassing target discovery and drug discovery services through to delivery of pre-clinical candidates. In addition, BioFocus DPI provides adenoviral reagents for rapid identification and validation of novel drug targets and compound libraries for drug screening. Galapagos currently employs more than 330 people, including 144 PhDs, and operates facilities in seven countries, with global headquarters in Mechelen, Belgium.