Incyte Genomics and Baylor College of Medicine Announce First Phase of Genomic Partnership

Incyte Genomics, Inc. and Baylor College of Medicine announced recently that they have entered into a major genomic research partnership.

Scientists at Texas Children's Cancer Center, a joint program of Baylor and Texas Children's Hospital, will work with Incyte to conduct gene expression studies and determine the role of genes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancers commonly affecting children.

The agreement is the first in a series of planned collaborations with Baylor. Intellectual property resulting from this collaboration will be jointly owned by Baylor and Incyte and available for licensing through Incyte.

"We believe working with the Texas Children's Cancer Center marks the start of a fruitful, long-term relationship with one of the best health science centers in the country," says Roy A. Whitfield, chief executive officer of Incyte. "We already expect to work with Baylor on other major diseases affecting adults including breast and prostate cancer. The scope of this partnership is really an important component of building a strong network of academic collaborators."

Incyte and Baylor scientists will design and conduct studies on gene and protein expression to examine the relationship of gene function to the progression and treatment of cancer. Baylor will obtain access to Incyte's LifeSeq Gold gene sequence database, which contains the world's most extensive set of information on the human genome. In turn, Incyte will extract and analyze gene and protein expression data from Baylor's high-quality biological samples for incorporation into the company's LifeExpressTM gene expression database. Incyte's LifeExpress subscribers will have the ability to access the data generated from this and other similar research collaborations.

"Through this partnership, we hope to accelerate the process of understanding the role of genes in the development and progression of childhood cancer," says Dr. David Poplack, director of Texas Children's Cancer Center. "We believe this understanding could lead to more effective treatments, as well as opportunities for prevention and earlier diagnosis."

Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children under age 15. As one of the largest pediatric cancer centers in the U.S., the Texas Children's Cancer Center is known internationally for developing innovative treatments for virtually every form of childhood cancer and blood disorders, including leukemias and lymphomas as well as brain, bone, and tissue tumors.

"The cures for cancer continue to elude researchers worldwide," says Dr. Randy Scott, president and chief scientific officer of Incyte. "However, with the advent of genomic technologies like gene expression profiling, researchers are much better equipped to grasp how genes influence disease progression and ultimately identify more reliable ways of preventing, diagnosing, and treating cancer. By bringing together the resources of premier academic institutions like Baylor and companies like Incyte, we are enabling further discovery in diseases that affect people worldwide."

---

©2006 Texas Medical Center

---

E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/07_15_00/page_06.html