Wyeth pharmaceuticals and Karo Bio have agreed to extend the research term of their collaboration an additional year until August 31, 2005, a release from Karo bio said.

In the fall of year 2001, Karo Bio and Wyeth initiated a 3-year research collaboration for discovery of novel treatments for atherosclerosis targeting the Liver X Receptor (LXR). LXR is a rather new member of the nuclear receptor protein family that was discovered by Professor Jan-Åke Gustafsson and his team at Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge in Sweden.

LXR has evolved as a most promising target for treatment of metabolic disorders, including atherosclerosis. Compounds modulating LXR function have the potential to become new pharmaceuticals for treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis.

Further, Wyeth and Karo Bio have agreed to extend research terms of the collaboration project for another year to continue discovery efforts for compounds acting on LXR, primarily for treatment of atherosclerosis, but also to explore additional clinical areas.

"I am very pleased that our successful collaboration with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has reached to predevelopment stage in less than three years", says Dr Björn O. Nilsson, president & CEO of Karo Bio. "The extension year will be important to utilize the strong momentum in the project for discovery of additional compounds beyond the candidate now moving towards the clinic," he added.