BUFFALO, N.Y., Dec. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Albany
Molecular Research Inc. (NASDAQ: AMRI) announced today that it has
signed a collaboration agreement with biotechnology company
Multispan Inc. to co-market their G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)
drug discovery services to global pharmaceutical and biotechnology
clients. As part of the three-year agreement, AMRI gains access to
Multispan's uniquely differentiated GPCR cell lines, assay
capabilities and expertise. Multispan's customers will benefit from
AMRI's global integrated drug discovery solutions, including
high-throughput screening (HTS) and discovery medicinal
chemistry.
"We are excited to be entering into this collaboration with
Multispan as we implement our new U.S. integrated drug discovery
center located on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus," said
Rory Curtis, Ph.D., Vice President,
Discovery Biology and Pharmacology, and Site Head of AMRI Buffalo.
"As a biotechnology company that exclusively focuses on drug
discovery research targeting GPCRs, Multispan has an impressive
collection of human GPCR clones and GPCR-expressing cell lines for
HTS, which will be beneficial to AMRI's integrated drug discovery
efforts."
Aimed at increasing success in GPCR drug discovery, the alliance
with Multispan is an example of the local and national partnerships
AMRI is creating to combine validated assays and technologies with
its state-of-the-art HTS and analytic informatics.
"We have a responsibility to our partners and customers to use
the best assays available to improve GPCR drug discovery, drive
reductions in discovery cycle time and yield compounds that will
ultimately be successful in the clinic," Dr. Curtis continued. "Our
strategy is to leverage and build creative and effective
collaborations with on-campus and off-campus partners from
academia, biotech and Pharma."
"We are excited to bring our GPCR capabilities and services to
AMRI's customers through this strategic alliance," added
Helena Mancebo, CEO of Multispan.
"In addition, we are eager for our customers to have access to the
leading-edge capabilities for drug discovery that AMRI's new center
in Buffalo offers across biology
and medicinal chemistry."
About AMRI
Albany Molecular Research Inc. (AMRI) is a
global contract research and manufacturing organization that has
been working with the Life Sciences industry to improve patient
outcomes and the quality of life for more than two decades. With
locations in North America,
Europe and Asia, our key business segments include
Discovery and Development Solutions (DDS), Active Pharmaceutical
Ingredients (API), and Drug Product Manufacturing (DPM). Our DDS
segment provides comprehensive services from hit identification to
IND, including expertise with diverse chemistry, library design and
synthesis, in vitro biology and pharmacology, drug metabolism and
pharmacokinetics, as well as natural products. API supports the
chemical development and cGMP manufacture of complex API, including
potent, controlled substances, biologics, peptides, steroids,
hormones, cytotoxic compounds and sterile API. DPM supports
development through commercial scale production of complex
liquid-filled and lyophilized parenterals, sterile suspensions and
ophthalmic formulations. For more information about AMRI, please
visit our website at www.amriglobal.com or follow us on Twitter
(@amriglobal).
About Multispan Inc.
Multispan Inc. is a biotech
company focusing exclusively on drug discovery research targeting
GPCRs. Multispan has created the industry's largest collection of
human GPCR clones and GPCR-expressing cell lines for HTS including
the proprietary HExTM series of High Expression cell
lines. Multispan also offers custom compound profiling, cell line
generation, antibody development and frozen cell and membrane
preparation, with scientific consultations from assay design to
implementation.
About G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs)
GPCRs belong
to the family of cell surface receptors that respond to
wide-ranging external stimuli and play a major role in
pharmacology. GPCRs mediate key physiological processes in the body
and are a well-established target class of highly druggable
receptors, owing to their indispensable role in cell signaling. The
majority of the drugs discovered and 30% of those available in the
market target GPCRs. According to Transparency Market Research
(TMR), the global G-protein coupled receptors market stood at
$1.6 billion in 2013 and is estimated
to reach $3.5 billion by the end of
2022. However, there are still novel innovative targets and
approaches within this class that can be addressed.
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SOURCE AMRI