NEW YORK, May 22 – Hybrigenics, a Paris-based functional proteomics company, announced Tuesday the opening of a joint research facility with Institut Curie.
The labs will be located on Institut Curie’s Paris campus.
Researchers will map cellular protein interactions in Drosophila melangaster and human cells in an attempt to validate critical protein pathways involved in cancer, according to Hybrigenics.
“The mapping of cellular protein interactions in the fruit fly and their comparison with human cells is a very promising research field in oncology,” said Daniel Louvard, director of the research division at Institut Curie. “We are very hopeful that our partnership with Hybrigenics will ultimately enable the identification of new therapeutic targets for the benefit of patients.”
The partnership with Institut Curie adds another deal for Hybrigenics with a French-based institution. Past partnerships include those with Pasteur Institut to identify and map interactions between proteins from Helicobacter pylori and a deal with the pharmaceutical company Servier to map out protein pathways related to cancer.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. A spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
In February, Hybrigenics president Donny Strosberg told GenomeWeb that the company is looking to expand its partnerships with pharma and biotech companies outside France.
“Nobody believes you’re going to Paris to do business,” he joked to a GenomeWeb reporter. “They think you’re going for a nice dinner.”
Strosberg at the time said that Hybrigenics was seriously considering establishing a US base of operations, either by acquiring a company in the states or by opening a new US site, to facilitate drug discovery deals with US pharma or biotech companies.