PALO ALTO, Calif.--Incyte Pharmaceuticals here has signed a multiyear database partnership agreement with Organon, a pharmaceutical business unit of Akzo Nobel. The deal will give Organon access to Incyte's LifeSeq gene sequence and expression database and its LifeSeq GeneAlbum reagent set in exchange for annual access fees. Organon will be responsible for developing and commercializing any drugs that arise from the collaboration, but Incyte could receive royalties on sales developed with its technology and databases.
"We are pleased that Organon has elected to access the powerful combination of LifeSeq and LifeSeq GeneAlbum," commented Roy Whitfield, Incyte's CEO. "The extensive genomic information available in the LifeSeq database coupled with the large collection of verified DNA clones in LifeSeq GeneAlbum creates a powerful tool enabling Organon scientists to readily identify and experiment on selected subsets of genes."
"This agreement strengthens our drug discovery efforts by enabling Organon to benefit from and expand upon the latest insights into the genetic basis of disease," added Driek Vergouwen, Organon's managing director of research and development. "The knowledge of human DNA sequences will be applied to develop novel drugs intended for use in gynecological, cardiovascular, psychiatric and other diseases. We believe that Incyte's technology and database information for identifying genes and validating new drug targets will put us at the forefront in developing new classes of drugs."