Hamburg, Germany | Abingdon, UK | Brussels, Belgium - Evotec OAI AG (Deutsche Börse: EVT, Prime Standard) and Euroscreen S.A. today announced they have exchanged know how and expertise to enhance their respective strengths in GPCR (G-Protein Coupled Receptor) targets. The companies crosslicensed key patents relating to Euroscreen's AequoScreen(TM) technology and Evotec OAI's Vlip(TM) technology. In addition, Evotec OAI gains immediate exclusive access to Euroscreen's entire range of GPCR products for rapid and high quality analysis of customer requests in drug discovery service agreements.
 
Under the terms of the agreement, Evotec OAI will have access to Euroscreen's GPCR reagents - including cell lines, membrane preparations as well as functional analyses using Euroscreen's patented AequoScreenTM technology. Evotec OAI may also develop aequorin assays to pursue its own research programmes, while the terms of the agreement permit Euroscreen to use Evotec OAI's Vlip technology for its research and commercial applications as well.
 
"Our customers now rely on the biological testing of many GPCRs," said Dr. Timm Jessen, Chief Scientific Officer at Evotec OAI. "We are the first biological screening company to offer a complete and reliable product line for GPCR testing. Euroscreen's impressive GPCR portfolio combined with our assay development expertise and EVOscreen® uHTS platform provides us with a strong competitive advantage."
 
Dr. Pierre Nokin, Euroscreen's CEO and company co-founder, said: "It was a natural step for us to extend the availability of our GPCR product line beyond our historical use of only direct sales to customers. Evotec OAI has proven itself to be the preferred choice to meet the demands of the pharmaceutical HTS and drug development community, and we are very excited to be providing this direct access to our reagents to further grow the customer satisfaction for Evotec OAI. It is a pleasure to cooperate with a company that shares a long-standing tradition of excellence and a proven track record in providing solutions that address critical science and efficiency for drug screening."
 
This technology partnership will enhance the utilization of the company's respective patented technologies both in their internal research programmes, as well as with their own drug screening products and services to the biopharmaceutical industry.  
 
About Evotec OAI AG
Evotec OAI offers a comprehensive range of high-value added services and products required to increase the efficiency and at the same time reduce the risk in the identification of new drugs. By integrating proprietary state-of-the-art technologies and processes in biology, chemistry and screening, the Company has established a unique position for all the critical elements in the drug discovery and development process - from target to clinical development. Due to its extensive know how and experience Evotec OAI is the ideal partner for pharma and biotech companies world-wide. To date, Evotec OAI has completed over 1,200 projects with 150 companies, including all of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies and major biotechs.
The Company employs more than 600 people, primarily at its two main sites at Hamburg in Germany and Abingdon in the UK. Subsidiaries are located in Europe and North America. In 2001 Evotec OAI achieved revenues of EUR 63.2 million. Evotec OAI shares are listed on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (NM: EVT).
More information can be found at www.evotecoai.com
 
About Euroscreen S.A.
Euroscreen is a world leader in G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR's). The Company integrates its research expertise in this area with its patented, high-throughput, AequoScreen(TM) cellular assay platform to sell its GPCR-based
products (recombinant cell lines and membrane preparations) and services (custom screening and cloning) directly around the world.
The Company has built a patent portfolio of GPCR targets and novel drug leads for licensing to biopharmaceutical companies. To date, Euroscreen has partnered with Alchemia, Evotec OAI, Galapagos Genomics, ICOS, Merck & Co, Pfizer Inc, Solvay, Sosei, Syngenta and UCB. Euroscreen has also inlicensed technologies from academic centres, such as Brussels University, INSERM, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the University of Georgia Research Foundation, the University of Virginia Patent Foundation and the University of Toronto.
Euroscreen is a privately held company based in Brussels, Belgium which 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 _x0080_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
 
Contact Euroscreen S.A.:
Pierre Nokin, Ph.D.                                Alfred Gray, Ph.D.
President and CEO                                VP, Business Development
Phone: +32 71 348 500                          Phone: +1 (972) 462 0761
pnokin@euroscreen.be                           algray@euroscreen.be