BioWorld International Correspondent

PARIS - UroGene SA entered a research collaboration with Structural GenomiX Inc. for the discovery and development of new drugs for urological cancers.

The companies are to jointly develop small-molecule inhibitors against urological cancer kinase targets, combining the FAST (Fragments of Active Structures) technology of San Diego-based SGX with UroGene's knowledge in the biology of urological diseases and target validation for those indications. They are to focus initially on bladder cancer.

SGX will have exclusive commercialization rights for North America to drugs developed under the collaboration, while UroGene, which is based in the Genopole, France's national biotechnology science and business park at Evry, will have exclusive rights in Europe.

UroGene's vice president of business development, Pierre Belichard, told BioWorld International that the companies were to focus initially on one kinase, with plans for others to follow. They hope to select a clinical candidate by early 2005, he added, and the companies will share clinical development costs. Regarding the early stage research, the work would be evenly divided and each company would finance its own activities, he said.

SGX's FAST technology is designed to identify small-molecule inhibitors of drug targets. Drawing on its libraries of synthetically enabled fragments, SGX uses high-throughput co-crystallography, computational scoring and automated parallel synthesis to discover molecules. Its lead optimization process is driven by iterative determination of co-crystal structures that reveal in atomic detail how small molecules interact with drug targets, the company said.

For its part, UroGene has put in place a clinical network that provides it with annotated prostate and bladder tissues, which enable it to discover and optimize drug targets. It is engaged in four research programs aimed at developing treatments for different stages of prostate and bladder cancer.

Belichard also disclosed that UroGene expects to sign an in-licensing deal with a large pharmaceutical company in the first half of January, giving it rights to a product that is already in Phase II development in a urological indication. UroGene completed a second private financing in March in which it raised €12 million, following a first round in September 2000 that netted it €2 million.