atugen AG and the GeneTrove division of Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc have entered into an intellectual property license agreement.Through the licensing of specific functional genomics patents from Isis, atugen supplements its existing intellectual property position by gaining rights to practice Isis' antisense-based functional genomics technology, and to use antisense for discovery and validation of targets and for small molecule drug discovery research in its in-house programs and for its customers.Specific financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

"This new transaction with atugen is consistent with our business strategy to maximize the utilization of our intellectual property within the industry to create value for our shareholders.We believe the strength and depth of our patent position along with the number of agreements we have in place with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, such as atugen and others, is indicative of our leadership role in antisense-based functional genomics," said Richard K. Brown, Isis' Vice President and GeneTrove President.

"This agreement gives us access to Isis' antisense intellectual property, enhancing our patent portfolio and our ability to offer target validation services, including the elucidation of disease pathways to partners," said Thomas Christely, atugen's Chief Operating Officer."Moreover, this agreement will support the increased demand for our service offerings, since atugen provides all major mRNA-based tools including antisense, ribozymes and siRNA, together with atugen's unique transfection reagents, for discovery and validation of targets and for small molecule drug discovery research."

atugen's intellectual property portfolio consists of an exclusive license from Ribozyme Pharmaceutical Inc. for 69 issued patents and more than 100 patent applications in the target discovery and validation field relating to ribozymes, antisense molecules, delivery vehicles and related technologies. This estate is complemented by atugen's own patent filings and several other licenses including a license to practice the RNA interference technology.

atugen's current customers for target validation include Altana Pharma, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Oxford Glycosciences, Pfizer, Schering AG/Berlex Biosciences and University of California San Francisco amongst others.

Isis' functional genomics patent suite is comprised of approximately 50 patents and applications.Central components of the patent suite are intellectual property surrounding RNase H and second generation antisense inhibitors designed to work through the RNase H mechanism of action.This suite of patents represents a subset of Isis' overall intellectual property estate of more than 1000 issued patents that Isis owns or exclusively licenses, covering RNA-based drug discovery and development.GeneTrove also aids corporate partners in identifying the role of a specific gene (gene functionalization) and whether a specific gene is a good target for drug discovery (target validation).GeneTrove currently provides Custom Target Validation services to Eli Lilly and Company, Celera Genomics, Abbott Laboratories, Amgen Inc, Chiron Corporation, Merck & Co. Inc, Pharmacia Corporation, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline and Aventis.