Aurora Biosciences to Work on Huntingtons Disease Treatment

Contact:
Debra Lovecky, 212-242-1968, ext. 28, Dlovecky@hdsa.org or Allison Younger,
212-242-1968 ext. 18, ayounger@hdsa.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Aurora Biosciences to Work on Huntingtons Disease Treatment

New York, NY, Sept. 13, 2000 -- Barbara Boyle, the National Executive Director/CEO of the Huntingtons Disease Society of America expressed excitement with the announcement that Aurora Biosciences Corporation will be partnering with the Hereditary Disease Foundation in advancing potential treatments for Huntingtons Disease. We look to high throughput screens to be the next step in identifying avenues to potential treatments for HD. We applaud Aurora Biosciences for their participation in this exciting new initiative. We are hopeful that other biotech firms will follow Auroras lead and become involved in HD research. We view the alliance of Aurora Biosciences with the non-profit sector as a 'model partnership. "

In a statement released today, Aurora Biosciences Corporation said that it would be developing technology that will help to identify compounds with the potential to treat Huntingtons Disease. Huntingtons Disease is a deadly neurological brain disorder for which there is no effective treatment and no cure. An estimated 30,000 Americans have HD and another 250,000 are said to be at risk" of inheriting the gene that causes the disease.

The Huntingtons Disease Society of America has been a leading supporter of HD research worldwide through both its Coalition for the Cure and its aggressive Grant and Fellowship program. One of the leading investigators for the HDSA Coalition for the Cure has been Dr. Erich Wanker, of the Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Genetics in Berlin, Germany. Dr. Wankers research has centered on biochemical models and, in particular, on a large scale chemical drug screening, known as a high throughput screen, that will isolate a compound that may slow or stop huntingtin (protein) aggregation. Using a filter retardation assay, a library of different chemical compounds has been tested for their ability to prevent huntingtin aggregation in vitro. This screening resulted in identifying a number of promising substances for further study.

Dr. Wankers pioneering work with huntingtin protein aggregation and his use of screening for compounds has been an HDSA research initiative since 1998 and is funded by both the Ted Ross Research Fund and by the leading pharmaceutical company, Merck, in Europe. As Dr. Wanker noted in HDSAs research publication, Toward a Cure, A successful drug screening could aid in developing an effective remedy for HD and could lead to new therapies for corresponding diseases."

As Dr. James Gusella, HDSA Coalition for the Cure investigator and one of the leading scientists to isolate the gene that causes HD in 1993 noted, Early data from high throughput screens like Erichs is very promising. The collaborative efforts of HDSA Coalition scientists to finding the cause of HD is essential to the swift development of effective treatments for this deadly disease."

At the 7th Annual HDSA Coalition for the Cure Research Conference, members of the Coalition Sub-Committee directed HDSA to fund more high throughput screens that might apply to cell models or fly models as well as urging Coalition investigators to build upon or supplement Dr. Wankers protein aggregation assay.

As Dr. Christopher Ross, chair of HDSAs Medical and Scientific Advisory Board noted, I see the cure as the product of a series of steps that we (HDSA) take toward the ultimate goal. HDSA already funds 3 complementary research programs -- basic and pre-clinical research through the Grant and Fellowship program and HDSA Coalition for the Cure and clinical trials through the Huntington Study Group."

For more information about the Huntingtons Disease Society of America or the work being performed by Coalition for the Cure Investigators, please contact HDSA at 800-345-HDSA or visit the national web site at www.hdsa.org.

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