PsychoGenics and AstraZeneca Enter Agreement to Identify New Treatments for Central Nervous System Disorders

PsychoGenics and AstraZeneca Enter Agreement to Identify New Treatments for Central Nervous System Disorders
Mon Aug 31, 2009 8:00am EDT  Email | Print | Share| Reprints | Single Page[-] Text [+]

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 TARRYTOWN, N.Y.--(Business Wire)--
PsychoGenics Inc. and AstraZeneca have entered into a drug discovery and
development agreement to identify compounds that are likely to be useful for the
treatment of certain Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders.

Under the agreement, PsychoGenics will use its proprietary drug discovery
technologies to evaluate a number of AstraZeneca drug candidates for their
potential to treat psychiatric disorders. PsychoGenics will receive research
payments and milestones commensurate with the stage of development, as well as
royalties on any future sales.

Dr. Emer Leahy, President and CEO of PsychoGenics said, "We are excited about
this collaboration and look forward to working with AstraZeneca`s scientific
team. We are confident that, with AstraZeneca`s compound libraries and expertise
in CNS drug discovery and our proprietary drug discovery approach, we have an
excellent opportunity to identify novel and improved treatments for serious
psychiatric disorders."

Dr. Frank Yocca, Vice President and Head of Research Area CNS & Pain,
AstraZeneca R&D Wilmington, said, "We are continuously seeking opportunities to
collaborate with those who share our commitment to pursuing novel therapies. We
are eager to start our work with PsychoGenics in this important area of
research, and we are excited to be able to access their innovative technologies
and to leverage their expertise in neurobiology."

PsychoGenics has developed proprietary high-throughput drug discovery platforms
that combine expertise in behavioral neurobiology with the power of robotics,
bioinformatics and computer vision to discover the next generation of
neuropsychiatric drugs. Working in collaboration with pharmaceutical and biotech
companies, PsychoGenics has been instrumental in identifying the therapeutic
potential of discontinued and early stage compounds, including some with novel
"first-in-class" mechanisms of action.

About PsychoGenics

PsychoGenics is a leader in preclinical behavioral neurobiology. The Company
applies its behavioral expertise together with advances in robotics, computer
vision, and informatics to provide innovative solutions for central nervous
system drug discovery. PsychoGenics works with pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies, academic institutions, and not-for-profit research foundations to
help discover treatments for such major neurological and psychiatric disorders
as: ALS, anxiety, cognitive impairment, depression, Huntingtons Disease,
psychosis/schizophrenia, and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).

Using its proprietary technologies, PsychoGenics has on-going drug discovery
partnerships with Lilly, Roche, Cephalon, Sepracor and others and has created
new company known as Psylin Neurosciences, in partnership with Amylin to develop
peptides for Psychiatric disorders. The Company`s internal programs include its
Phase II programs for ADHD and L-dopa induced dyskinesia associated with
Parkinson`s disease