Cambridge Combinatorial Completes Collaboration With Dainippon Pharmaceutical; Expands Lab Facilities

Cambridge Combinatorial Ltd. (Cambridge, UK), a wholly owned subsidiary of Oxford Molecular Group (Oxford, UK), has completed delivery of library compounds in their collaboration with Dainippon Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Osaka, Japan), a Japanese pharmaceutical company. The company also announced that it is doubling the size of its laboratory facilities to service new contracts following a year of successful new business development.

The collaboration between Oxford Molecular Group's Collaborative Discovery Division, Cambridge Combinatorial, and Dainippon began in June 1997. Under the terms of the agreement, Cambridge Combinatorial committed to synthesising novel targeted libraries of compounds for screening against a nominated biological target selected by Dainippon. Oxford Molecular Group's molecular modeling and drug design expertise was used in the design of the library. Cambridge Combinatorial also provided consultancy services to Dainippon to assist them in establishing a combinatorial chemistry unit in Japan that included Dainippon scientists working in Cambridge Combinatorial's laboratories in Cambridge. All objectives during this phase were successfully achieved.

As a result of signing a number of new collaborations since the company was formed in February 1997, Cambridge Combinatorial is now expanding its facilities at the Merrifield Centre in Cambridge, UK. "The last year has been very successful for Cambridge Combinatorial, culminating in the need for us to double the size of our laboratory facilities to service the increasing number of contracts we are securing in Europe, USA, and Japan," said Allan Marchington, CEO of Cambridge Combinatorial.

Cambridge Combinatorial Ltd. chemistry services to accelerate discovery and process research, servicing the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and biotechnology industries.

Oxford Molecular is a provider of information technology and drug discovery research services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and chemical industries.

Dainippon Pharmaceutical is a pharmaceutical company that has developed and marketed many products originated from its own research such as new quinolone antibacterials, ACE inhibitors, and antiepileptics.

For more information, call David Phillips of Cambridge Combinatorial at (+) 44 122-372-2400.