Inflazyme Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and BioSeek, Inc. announced that they have entered into a research collaboration agreement.

Under the collaboration, BioSeek, a leader in applying integrated human biology systems for developing new therapeutics, will apply its proprietary BioMAP Systems in an effort to characterize the mechanisms of action of the LSAIDs, Inflazyme's Leukocyte Selective Anti-inflammatory Drugs, which make up Inflazyme's respiratory programme.

Inflazyme Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on respiratory and inflammatory diseases. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

BioSeek's BioMAP Systems are a series of human primary-cell based assay systems designed to replicate the intricate cell and pathway interactions present in human disease biology. Depending on their mechanism of action, compounds induce specific patterns of changes in these systems (BioMAP profiles) that can be compared to a large number of reference profiles in BioSeek's database. BioMAP profiling can provide in-depth characterization of drug function, including defining mechanism of action or secondary activities, and can provide insights into potential clinical applications. In addition to characterizing previously identified lead compounds, BioSeek is using BioMAP Systems for primary screening, to rapidly generate lead compounds that have novel activity in a particular disease setting.

"Inflazyme's innovative development programs in respiratory diseases are a great fit with our BioMAP technology and expertise in inflammation and related diseases," commented Peter Staple, chief executive officer of BioSeek. "We look forward to working with Inflazyme to provide an enhanced understanding of the biological activities of their drug candidates."

"We are excited about this collaboration with BioSeek and working with their team to further characterize our LSAIDs by applying their unique BioMAP technology," said Dr. Kevin Mullane, president and chief executive officer of Inflazyme. "This is a particularly good match since BioSeek's technology includes systems that cover human disease biology relevant to asthma, COPD, allergy and other inflammatory conditions, key areas of focus for Inflazyme."