Brussels, Belgium (PRWEB) January 3, 2005
Euroscreen s.a. has completed a license agreement with Wyeth for access to the EuroscreenÂs SHIP2 patent rights. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
The license covers the screening program conducts by Wyeth to single out compounds which modulate the activity of SHIP2. This enzyme was cloned and characterized by Dr Erneux and 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.
Commenting on the announcement, Professor Marc Parmentier, CSO and a founder of Euroscreen, said: ÂWe are very pleased that Wyeth is pursuing a therapeutic development program for SHIP2. Our pioneering research disclosed that SHIP2 was a potent negative regulator of insulin signalling and insulin sensitivity in vivo. Subsequent research demonstrated 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.Â
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