Milestones achieved in BI and GPC Biotech alliance

German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim and genomics- and proteomics-driven drug discovery and development company GPC Biotech have achieved two research milestones in their virology alliance. By applying GPC Biotech's integrated genomics, proteomics and cell biology technology platform, the companies have identified and validated novel targets for the prevention and treatment of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. These will now be developed further at Boehringer Ingelheim's Laval research centre in Quebec, Canada.

HPV - a small DNA virus - is the etiological agent for all warts and affects 40m people in the US alone. In addition, a subset of HPV referred to as the 'high risk viruses' has been shown to be associated with the development of cervical cancer. Treatment options are limited, generally painful and associated with relatively high recurrence rates.

Under the multi-year alliance, announced in January 2001, GPC Biotech is using its integrated technology platform to identify and biochemically validate novel targets and their molecular pathways associated with high and low risk HPV infections for Boehringer Ingelheim.

The research and license agreement includes up-front license fees and research funding, as well as research and clinical development milestones to GPC Biotech. In addition, Boehringer Ingelheim will pay GPC Biotech royalties on sales of products discovered by Boehringer Ingelheim using GPC Biotech's technology.

Professor Dr Bernd Wetzel, head of corporate division research and non-clinical development, Boehringer Ingelheim worldwide, said: 'The targets we have achieved so far already represent an important step forward in our effort to identify novel protein-protein interactions and cellular pathways for unique therapeutic interventions in HPV-related diseases.'