Discovery Partners International Inc announced that its Swiss affiliate has entered into an assay development and biological screening collaboration with Novartis Pharma AG on several undisclosed targets. Specific financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.

"Novartis has one of the most productive R&D organizations in the industry, and we are extremely pleased to be supporting their discovery team in the critical area of lead compound identification, utilizing our state-of- the-art facilities," said Riccardo Pigliucci, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Discovery Partners International. "We will be working closely with Novartis to adapt their novel assays to our screening capabilities across multiple therapeutic areas. This significant new collaboration, which extends into 2004, represents an important opportunity for us to apply our discovery investments, infrastructure and expertise to the research of one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies."

The Integrated Drug Discovery Division of Discovery Partners International offers a wide range of assay development and ultra high throughput screening services for lead compound identification. The company is experienced with a wide range of targets, including GPCRs, nuclear receptors, ion channels, kinases, phosphatases, and proteases, as well as with the development of a whole array of cellular assays. The company can also quantify intracellular events such as protein translocations, as well as phenotypic changes, utilizing its high content screening platform.