Bionomics Limited announced a series of initiatives that strengthen its presence in the United States market.

Adding to its already impressive list of US-based collaborative research partners, Bionomics has established a collaborative agreement with the School of Medicine at Emory University in Georgia to study genetic variations associated with Severe Myoclonic Epilepsy of Infancy (SMEI). The Company has also formed a wholly owned US subsidiary and appointed a US business representative.

Dr Deborah Rathjen, CEO and managing director of Bionomics, welcomed the addition of another highly regarded US-based institution to Bionomics' network of academic collaborators in epilepsy gene discovery and drug development. "The Emory Medical School's expertise in functional genetics and Bionomics' leadership in the understanding of epilepsy genes are a powerful combination," she said.

According to a release, the newly formed US subsidiary, Bionomics Inc, will hold Bionomics' growing intellectual property interests in the US and will provide enhanced access for Bionomics to US government grant funding. The Company may consider conducting a broader range of business activities through Bionomics Inc at an appropriate time in the future.

In this latest US collaboration with Emory University, Bionomics Inc and the University will jointly own the intellectual property arising from the epilepsy research while Bionomics Inc will have exclusive rights relating to the commercialisation of that intellectual property.

Bionomics' focus is to direct its genomics expertise and proprietary technology into the development of diagnostics and therapeutics for central nervous system disorders (particularly epilepsy) and cancer. The Company's current US interests include -an alliance with Nanogen Inc for the development and marketing of a gene-based diagnostic test for childhood epilepsy; and research collaborations with Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (epilepsy), the University of Wisconsin - Madison (epilepsy) and Louisiana State University (cancer). Bionomics has commercialisation rights to any intellectual property emerging from these collaborations, the release says.