Thrombotargets Corporation and Instituto Biomar to collaborate on identification and optimization of new drug candidates

Thrombotargets Corp and Instituto Biomar today announced the signature of a drug discovery collaboration agreement.

North Carolina, April 16th, 2007. Under the terms of this agreement, Instituto Biomar will provide Thrombotargets Corp with its libraries of purified natural products and extracts collection for its High Throughput Screening of Pathway Activity (HTS-PA) in Thrombotargets’ technology . Thrombotargets will seek to identify and optimize drug candidates for multiple targets that will be jointly developed by both companies.
Thrombotargets ( www.thrombotargets.com  ) is an innovative drug discovery and development group of biotech companies developing new medicines based on advances in recombinant DNA and small molecule drug technologies. Thrombotargets' programs leverage the company's haemostasis expertise and are focused on inherited and acquired Hemorrhagic and Thrombotic disorders.

Instituto Biomar ( www.institutobiomar.com ) has developed a research program with the objective of exploiting the seas biodiversity, taking advantage of its expertise in Marine Microbiology and Natural Product Chemistry, and its latest additions, the Bioassay and Development Departments.

ABOUT THROMBOTARGETS
Thrombotargets group is comprised by three companies; Thrombotargets Corporation (Durham, NC, USA.) is responsible for Drug Development and Business Managment; Thrombotargets Europe (Barcelona, Spain) for Target Identification, Lead Validation, Lead Optimization and High Througput Screening Development, and Biotech Libraries (Girona, Spain) for engineered targeted libraries and HTS
Thrombotargets has developed and adapted to High Throughput Screening, a new family of biological assays, for Hemostasia -to quantify simultaneously clot formation and clot lysis-, for Atherosclerosis –to quantify low-density lipoprotein modification- or for Oxidation -to quantify total antioxidant capacity-. With these HTS platforms Thrombotargets group is creating a novel and promising pipeline. At present, two of Thrombotargets most innovative drug candidates (TT-103MH, a novel antibleeding recombinant protein granted by the US FDA with an Orphan Drug Designation, and TT-105, a novel anticoagulant acting through a new target) are undergoing Preclinical trials; TT-103MH will begin Phase I clinical trials at the end of the year.

Contact:
Luis Caveda Ph.D.
Thrombotargets Corp.
COO
luiscaveda@thrombotargets.com 

ABOUT INSTITUTO BIOMAR

Instituto Biomar was founded in January 1996, and its headquarters are located in Onzonilla (León), 300 km. northwest of Madrid.
Instituto Biomar has developed an outstanding collection of fermentation extracts from marine microorganisms, as well as a collection of compounds produced by these microorganisms. Through very diverse collaborations the company has identified in this collection compounds active in areas such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, cosmetic and agricultural applications. In the last two years Instituto Biomar has started work in the development of its own portfolio of drug candidates, and is currently in the process of preclinical evaluation of candidates for the Oncology program. The high chemical diversity present in the collection, and the expertise in isolating active compounds from the extracts are the tools for generating a solid pipeline in the different areas of interest for the company.
Instituto Biomar has ongoing collaborations with outstanding private and public research organizations worldwide for the discovery and development of novel therapeutic agents.

Contact:
Antonio Fernández Ph D
Instituto Biomar
CEO
afernandez@institutobiomar.com