Roche and SGX (Structural GenomiX) announced an alliance to discover new anti-viral therapeutics.

Using its proprietary FAST technology, SGX will be responsible for discovering small molecule inhibitors for Roche to develop and commercialize worldwide. SGX will receive an upfront payment, research funding and milestone payments as product candidates advance through development, and royalties on product sales, an official release said.

"We seek partners that will help build our pipeline in areas of strategic focus," said Peter Hug, Roche's Global Head of Pharma Partnering. "SGX will be generating new anti-viral leads for Roche, further strengthening our commitment to developing novel medicines in virology," he added.

"This partnership with Roche is consistent with our integrated business strategy," Dr. Stephen K. Burley, SGX's CSO stated adding, "which is to apply FAST to generate novel lead candidates in key therapeutic areas for strategic partners, as well as oncology candidates for further development by SGX."

SGX is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of innovative therapeutics. SGX's lead product candidate is Troxatyl, a phase 1/2 novel cancer therapeutic that has shown promise in Acute Myelogenous Leukemia and other malignancies including blast phase Chronic Myelogenous Leukaemia and various solid tumours.