Euroscreen Awarded US Patent Covering Screening Methods Using SHIP2, An Emerging Target For The Treatment Of Type 2 Diabetes

Euroscreen SA, today announced the issuance of a US patent 6,703,215 which protects any screening process using the human SHIP2 protein in order to find compounds which inhibit the activity of this protein.

Brussels, Belgium (PRWEB) March 10, 2004 --- Euroscreen SA, today announced the issuance of a US patent which protects any screening process using the human SHIP2 protein in order to find compounds which inhibit the activity of this protein. Screening methods using Src-Homology Inositol Phosphatase-2 (SHIP2)

The human SHIP2 was cloned and characterized by Dr. Christophe Erneux and Dr. Stéphane Schurmans at the Institute of Interdisciplinary Research (IRIBHM) of the Université Libre de Bruxelles. These researchers have shown that loss of SHIP2 gene in mice leads to increased insulin sensitivity, suggesting that pharmacological inhibition of SHIP2 could alleviate insulin resistance.

The US patent 6,703,215 relates in particular to screening methods to single out compounds which inhibit the biological activity of the human SHIP2 protein. Any screening methods using the above-mentioned protein are covered by valid claims.

The issuance of equivalent patent applications in Europe Japan and Canada will occur in the near future. The pending claims in these applications relate to similar subject-matter as described for the US patent .

Commenting on the announcement, Pierre Nokin, President and CEO of Euroscreen, said: "This new US patent represents a significant addition to our growing portfolio of validated disease-related targets. It will enable Euroscreen to generate revenues from companies wishing to use the human SHIP2 enzyme in their search for innovative drugs, in the form of license fees and milestones in the short term, and royalties on sales of any products generated in the longer term."

Professor Marc Parmentier, CSO and founder of Euroscreen, commented: We are very pleased to have been awarded the US patent for screening methods using human SHIP2 protein. In 1999, Dr. Erneux and Dr. Schurmans discovered that SHIP2 was a potent negative regulator of insulin signalling and insulin sensitivity in vivo. Subsequent research demonstated that SHIP2 could be a crucial target to alleviate Type 2 diabetes mellitus. This type of diabetes will continue to be an important focus of the scientific and medical community in the next decade".

About Euroscreen SA
Euroscreen is a world leader in G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) science. The Company integrates its research expertise in this area with its patented high-throughput AequoScreen cellular assay platform to patent new GPCR targets and drug candidates.

The Company is building its own patent portfolio of GPCR targets and novel drug leads for licensing to biopharmaceutical companies, and to date has agreements with Galapagos Genomics, ICOS, Merck & Co, Pfizer Inc, Solvay, Syngenta and UCB. Euroscreen has also established collaborations with academic centres, such as Brussels University, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the University of Georgia Research Foundation, and the University of Toronto, for access to its GPCR-based products (recombinant cell lines and membrane preparations) and services (custom screening and research services).

Euroscreen is a privately held company based in Brussels, Belgium. The Company was spun out of the University of Brussels in 1994 by Professors Jacques Dumont, Marc Parmentier and Gilbert Vassart and has since raised more than €8m in equity funding and grants. Euroscreen currently has 80 employees of which 50 are in R&D.

More information can be found at www.euroscreen.be

For further information, please contact:
Euroscreen SA                   
Pierre Nokin, Ph.D.               
President and CEO                
Tel: +32 71 348 500                

Professor Marc Parmentier
CSO
Tel: +32 2 5554171

Al Gray, Ph.D.
Vice President, Business Development
Tel: +32 71 348 500