Roche/Millennium's Genetic Obesity Target Ready For Screening

Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Hoffmann-La Roche reveal that a gene-based assay is ready to enter screening at Roche to identify obesity drug candidates (Marketletters passim).

This obesity research breakthrough comes less than a year after Millennium announced the discovery of the tub gene, and about six months after announcement of the cloning of ob-r (the leptin receptor gene). "With the discovery of the obesity role of the third gene, the Millennium/ Roche teams have emerged as major contributors in this exciting field," comments Millennium in a press statement.

The gene's role in obesity has been verified in a genetically-engineered animal model. The assay will move into a high-throughput drug screening program at Roche within the next several weeks. Millennium will receive a milestone payment for the discovery when drug screening begins.