LEIDEN, The Netherlands I October 31, 2013 I Today ZoBio announces a collaboration with Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd to discover conformationally selective fragment ligands for one of Actelion’s oncology targets. Under the agreement, ZoBio will apply its proprietary TINS technology to screen a library of drug fragments for specific binding to the desired conformation of the target. When successful, ZoBio will use a variety of biophysical methods, including its novel NMR-based structural biology, to validate and provide insight into the binding mechanism of the ligands.

Gregg Siegal, CSO of ZoBio said “We are proud that Actelion, a company with such success in bringing innovative drugs to the market, has selected ZoBio as a partner. We feel that this collaboration has a great chance to succeed where others have failed.”

About ZoBio

ZoBio uses fragment-based drug discovery to provide validated, biologically active compounds against challenging drug targets. Beginning with its proprietary Target Immobilized NMR Screening (TINS) platform, with its unparalleled sensitivity and reliability, ZoBio integrates industry standard and unique, novel biophysical approaches and biochemical assays with its NMR Pyramid technology to provide structural insight. ZoBio is dedicated to providing its customers the best science and compounds in a manner that fits within their workflow.

About Actelion Ltd

Actelion Ltd is a biopharmaceutical company with its corporate headquarters in Allschwil/Basel, Switzerland. Actelion’s first drug Tracleer® (bosentan), an orally available dual endothelin receptor antagonist, has been approved as a therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension. Actelion markets Tracleer through its own subsidiaries in key markets worldwide, including the United States (based in South San Francisco), the European Union, Japan, Canada, Australia and Switzerland. Actelion, founded in late 1997, is a leading player in innovative science related to the endothelium – the single layer of cells separating every blood vessel from the blood stream. Actelion’s over 2,300 employees focus on the discovery, development and marketing of innovative drugs for significant unmet medical needs. Actelion shares are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: ATLN) as part of the Swiss blue-chip index SMI (Swiss Market Index SMI®).

SOURCE: ZoBio