UNIZYME Laboratories and SARomics enter into drug discovery collaboration

UNIZYME Laboratories A/S, Hørsholm, Denmark and SARomics AB, Lund, Sweden, a specialist in silico drug discovery company, are pleased to announce today that they have entered into a research service collaboration. The aim is to discover novel lead compounds targeting dipeptidyl peptidase I (DPPI; cathepsin C) for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

The focus of Unizyme is on the discovery of new small molecules that interact with and inhibit the function of DPPI. Under the terms of the agreement, SARomics will apply its expertise in structure-based drug design to assist in the development of novel lead compounds. SARomics will facilitate the interpretation of three-dimensional structures of DPPI interacting with small molecules provided by Unizyme. This information will be combined with high-speed computational methods, like high-performance ligand-receptor docking, in order to accelerate lead molecule identification.

About UNIZYME Laboratories A/S

UNIZYME Laboratories A/S develops and produces proteins with focus on peptidases - for use in downstream processing, peptide synthesis, and drug discovery. The company has developed TAGZyme, which is an enzymatic system for the efficient production and affinity purification of therapeutic proteins using his-tags and tag removal without the risk of degradation of the target protein. Using TAGZyme, it is possible to go from identification of a target directly into production, thus reducing development time and costs. The results of more than 15 years of R&D, performed by Unizyme Laboratories A/S, into the structure of the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase I (DPPI; cathepsin C) and inhibitors to DPPI, is legally placed in the spin-out Prozymex Pharmaceuticals A/S. Prozymex has recently received acceptance of a patent application for one group of specific DPPI inhibitors and for the crystal structure of DPPI and its use in the discovery of DPPI inhibitors. For further information please visit the website at: www.unizyme.com

About SARomics AB

SARomics specializes in finding and exploring structure-activity-relationships (SAR) in both small molecule-based and protein-based drug discovery projects. SARomics has since 2005 provided R&D support in the area of in silico drug discovery to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries as a contract service provider. SARomics has developed a technology platform consisting of both proprietary methods and commercial software for protein modelling, computational chemistry, and systematic optimization of biomolecular properties. SARomics is based in Lund, Sweden, and consists of a highly experienced team with key expertise in drug discovery and design. SARomics is a licensee of the Schrödinger Computational Technology (industry standard molecular modeling and computational chemistry software). More information about SARomics can be found at the company's website at: www.saromics.com

Contact:

UNIZYME Laboratories A/S, John Pedersen, CEO

E-mail: jp[at]unizyme.dk, Phone: +45 45 760154

SARomics AB, Björn Walse, CEO

E-mail: bjorn.walse[at]saromics.com, Phone: +46 46 191276