BioSeek enters discovery alliance with Merck KGaA

BioSeek has signed a collaboration agreement with German company Merck KGaA. The US drug discovery firm will apply its BioMAP Systems to evaluate certain small-molecule compounds and proteins across multiple therapeutic areas in support of target differentiation, lead selection and nomination of candidates for preclinical development at the German firm's Merck Serono unit. Financial details were not disclosed.

Michael Venuti, chief executive of BioSeek, said "BioMAP Systems should provide an important value-added tool for the evaluation of compounds in Merck Serono's autoimmune and inflammatory disease programs, with additional applications in neurodegenerative diseases and oncology." BioMAP Systems are primary cell-based models of human disease biology, designed to replicate the intricate cell and pathway interactions as they are observed in vascular inflammation, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, fibrosis and related clinical indications. Depending on their mechanism of action, compounds induce specific patterns of changes in these systems (BioMAP profiles) that can be compared to a large number of reference profiles in the BioMAP Database. Assessment with BioMAP provides early insight into human pharmacological properties of compounds, including on- and off-target effects, dose responses and the discrimination of closely-related compounds.