Asterand extends deal with B-MS

UK-based Asterand says it has entered into an extended collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb for access to its products and services for up to three years. The agreement will focus on access to Asterand's PhaseZERO drug discovery services and XpressBANK of human tissue and clinical samples for the continued validation of early drug targets and support for compound optimization. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Martyn Coombs, chief executive of Asterand, said "our goal is to assist Bristol-Myers Squibb and other pharmaceutical companies in making the drug development process more effective and we want to help them reach the clinic with less cost and more confidence."

Under the extended collaboration, Asterand will continue to undertake a range of PhaseZERO studies for B-MS in the areas of compound profiling and target validation. These include gene and protein expression profiling and cell-based pharmacology assays. Likewise, the US drug major will be granted access to Asterand's XpressBANK of human tissue, bio-fluid, and cell lines and may also utilize its ProCURE custom clinical sample collection service.