Kinexis Inc has entered into a drug discovery program with Merck & Co Inc. As part of the agreement, Kinexis will receive research funding and may be entitled to future milestone payments and product royalty payments from Merck.

Kinexis' collaboration with Merck involves biologic target validation and small molecule screening of a prokineticin receptor in central nervous system (CNS) indications. These molecules have been shown to be important modifiers of circadian rhythm and gastrointestinal motility in animal models. As members of the GPCR class of receptors, they represent attractive drug targets.

Kinexis was formed in the summer of 2002, and raised its first round of financing through the venture arm of InvestBio of New York City.

Said Patricia L. Kilian, Chief Executive Officer of Kinexis, "We are thrilled to be collaborating with a company of Merck's stature and reputation. They bring outstanding expertise in small molecule discovery and a deep interest in central nervous system disorders. We look forward to working together in this important area. Clearly, this is a very important development for Kinexis."