NOXXON acquires SELEX(TM) sublicense for mirror-image nucleic acids from Archemix

14.01.2002

NOXXON Pharma AG announces that it has purchased for $5 million an exclusive sublicense to the SELEX(TM) patent portfolio for use with their Spiegelmer technology from Archemix Corporation, a drug discovery company based in Cambridge, MA, USA. The license encompasses therapeutic applications of mirror-image aptamers, so called Spiegelmers.

Under the terms of the agreement, NOXXON will apply the patented SELEX(TM) aptamer identification technology a process that identifies an aptamer to a biological target from millions of possibilities â in combination with NOXXON's proprietary Spiegelmer technology to develop novel oligonucleotide therapeutics. An aptamer is a DNA or RNA molecule that can bind to a target protein or small molecule in a manner similar to that of an antibody.

â NOXXON has demonstrated that its highly specific mirror-image aptamers, so called Spiegelmers, can function as potent antagonists against pharmaceutical targets, says Thomas Klein, CEO of NOXXON. Access to the SELEXâ(TM) technology patent portfolio will provide a powerful complementary technology for expanding our product pipeline.â

Archemix has a very broad and powerful patent portfolio of aptamer-based technologies. While we are actively pursuing internal programs that utilize these technologies, we are also interested in developing collaborations that will allow the technologies to be even more widely applied, says Archemix President Martin Stanton, PhD. Our agreement with NOXXON is an excellent example of this type of collaborationâ .

In November 2001 Archemix acquired the worldwide, exclusive license to a broad portfolio of aptamer-based intellectual property from Gilead Sciences for $17.5 million. This portfolio of over 150 patents includes rights to therapeutic uses of aptamers and to the use of aptamers as tools in drug discovery.

The process sublicensed to NOXXON, SELEX(TM), is a combinatorial chemistry methodology in which vast numbers of oligonucleotides are rapidly screened for specific sequences with desired binding affinity and specificity to a target. The agreement allows NOXXON to use SELEX(TM) technology in conjunction with its own Spiegelmer Technology. Spiegelmers, based on the German word for mirror, are aptamers that are created out of nucleotides that have the opposite stereochemistry of nucleotides found in nature.

The Spiegelmer Technology has powerful implications for drug discovery because Spiegelmers are stable, a result of their invulnerability to human enzymes, and can function as potent and specific antagonists to key pharmacological targets.

About NOXXON und Archemix

NOXXON Pharma AG (www.noxxon.net) is a Berlin-based biopharmaceutical company. NOXXON's objective is the development of a new generation of biopharmaceuticals. NOXXON is taking a pioneering approach to drug development using its unique Spiegelmer Technology. Spiegelmers represent a completely new class of substances that bind tightly and specifically to biological targets. They are chemically synthesized mirror-inverted nucleic acids that can be either RNA or DNA. The properties of the mirror-inverted molecular structure ensure the high stability of the Spiegelmers in the body.

NOXXON has entered into cooperations with Schering AG and Grünenthal. In November 2000 NOXXON raised Euro 20 Million in a second financing round led by Merlin Biosciences of London and Luxembourg.

Archemix Corporation (www.archemix.com) is a privately held drug discovery company based in Cambridge, Mass. Founded in May 2001, the company has assembled a powerful and broadly applicable technology platform in aptamer therapeutics and in nucleic acid-based tools for drug discovery and development. Protected by over 250 issued patents, Archemix's two major technology platforms include aptamers and RiboReporters(TM). Aptamers can be used for a wide variety of applications, including therapeutics, affinity capture, and molecular detection. RiboReportersâ¢ are nucleic acids that act as molecular switches, directly linking molecular recognition to the generation of a detectable signal.

Backed by Atlas Venture, Prospect Venture Partners, and Rho Ventures, Archemix is currently developing and leveraging its Aptamer and RiboReporter(TM) technology in therapeutic areas, drug discovery and development, and other molecular detection applications.

https://www.chemie.de/news/7166/noxxon-acquires-selex-tm-sublicense-for-mirror-image-nucleic-acids-from-archemix.html