deCODE chemistry and Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (FSMA) today announced a renewal of their collaboration to develop a small molecule therapeutic for spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disorder that is the leading killer of children under two years of age. Initiated in 2003, the deCODE chemistry-FSMA collaboration focused on optimization of a class of molecule that was discovered in a high-throughput, cell-based phenotypic assay developed under sponsorship by FSMA. By providing services for lead optimization and in-house support of the phenotypic assay, deCODE chemistry has developed optimized analogues that have high potency in the assay, excellent metabolic stability, efficient penetration of the blood-brain barrier, and an attractive pharmacokinetic profile, site. The focus of the collaboration in the coming year will be to further assess the pharmaceutical properties of lead candidates and select a small number of analogues for IND-directed, pre-clinical development.
"We are pleased to continue our collaboration with FSMA on this important program" said Dr. David Zembower, Vice President of Chemistry at deCODE chemistry. "We are encouraged by the progress that has been made over the past year, and look forward to working with FSMA to help them achieve their goals."
"There has been much progress in SMA research since our relationship with deCODE began, and we are proud that our collaborative effort has been a part of that," said Dr. Jill Jarecki, FSMA Research Director. "We are confident that our pioneering endeavor has the potential to enable a novel treatment for SMA."
Acumen Pharmaceuticals and deCODE chemistry Initiate Drug Discovery Research Program for Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease 
Acumen Pharmaceuticals (www.acumenpharm.com) and deCODE chemistry (www.decodechemistry.com) have initiated a drug discovery program to identify potential therapeutic treatments for Alzheimer's Disease. The program will initially involve a hit-to-lead campaign focused on exploring the high-quality screening hits that Acumen identified in its small molecule anti-ADDLplatform. As validated lead series develop, deCODE chemistry will conduct lead optimization focused on potency in Acumen's assay and optimization of pharmaceutical properties.
Under the terms of the agreement, deCODE chemistry will provide medicinal chemistry services to Acumen on a fee-for-service basis, to include services from the Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Safety and Metabolism groups of deCODE chemistry.
"We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Acumen Pharmaceuticals on this exciting research program" said Dr. David Zembower, Vice President of Chemistry at deCODE chemistry. "Our service platform is ideally suited to help advance Acumen's research program and allow them to achieve their corporate goals".
"After an in-depth evaluation of many service providers, we were very pleased to select deCODE chemistry as Acumen's medicinal chemistry services provider" said Dr. William Goure, Vice President of Business Development and Director of Chemistry at Acumen. "We have been working with deCODE chemistry for several months, and they have met all our expectations of providing high quality medicinal chemistry to advance Acumen's drug discovery and development program."
Mitch Friedman Joins deCODE chemistry as Director of Drug Safety and Metabolism; New Services Available for Clients.
deCODE chemistry today announced the addition of Mitch Friedman, Ph.D., DABT, as Director of Drug Safety and Metabolism. At deCODE chemistry, Mitch will oversee drug development activities related to pre-formulation screening, formulation development for non-clinical and clinical objectives, and IND-directed safety pharmacology and toxicology.
"We are pleased to welcome Mitch to our team" said Dr. David Zembower, deCODE chemistry's Vice President of Chemistry. "Mitch's expertise will allow us to offer an even more integrated service package to our clients, spanning early discovery through IND filing."
Mitch comes to deCODE with over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He spent the bulk of his career in Abbott Laboratories' Pharmaceutical Products Division heading up the department of toxicology where he provided both drug discovery and drug development support. In addition, Mitch served as one of the U.S. representatives on the international working group that developed the ICH guidelines for medical devices, and was one of the original members of the safety committee of the International Pharmaceutical Excipients Council. He has extensive experience with both domestic and international regulatory authorities ranging from preparation of INDs, NDAs and Expert Reports. Mitch and his team provide the integration of formulation, safety, pharmacokinetics and metabolism for both drug discovery and development. He received his B.S. in biology and chemistry from the University of Kansas and his PhD in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of Texas at Austin. He is board certified by the American Board of Toxicology.
ParaSol™ Pre-formulation Screening Service Available Now
October 1, 2005: ParaSol™ is deCODE chemistry’s Parallel Solubility screening service. Our proprietary automation and exclusive 96i™ screening set of diverse biocompatible formulations will help to quickly identify the best excipients to solubilize your API for use in pre-clinical studies. Results are generally available in two weeks and screening typically requires less than 10mg of API. Inquire today at
deCODE chemistry expands cGMP facilities deCODE chemistry today announced the expansion of its cGMP facilities for production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), with the addition of two fully operational production laboratories. Housed in its state-of-the-art facilities in Woodridge, IL, deCODE chemistry now operates four production laboratories, with the capacity to manufacture 5-10 kg of API. These laboratories are operated under a Class 10,000 environment and are modular in nature, to allow for maximum flexibility.
