Procter & Gamble Collaboration Identifies New Gene Targets
Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals (P&GP) announced that as part of their osteoporosis collaboration with Gene Logic, they have discovered 63 new gene targets. The targets are specifically regulated during osteoblastic cell development and may prove valuable in finding new agents that promote new bone formation. These new gene targets have been identified via functional genomics and bioinformatics and will be further assessed to determine their viability in bone drug development.
"This is very promising research which will keep us on the forefront of bone drug development, one of our therapeutic focus areas," said Gordon Hassing, vice president of R&D and Global Pharmaceuticals for P&G. P&G currently markets two osteoporosis drugs Actonel® (risedronate sodium tablets) and Didronel® (etidronate sodium).
P&G's collaboration with Gene Logic began in 1997 with a focus on heart failure. In 1998, the collaboration agreement was expanded to include osteoporosis-related genomic research. The agreement was further extended in 2000 when P&G became a subscriber to Gene Logic's GeneExpress Suite®.
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