Inimex Pharmaceuticals and SARomics Biostructures announce successful
achievement of key scientific milestone in structural biology collaboration

VANCOUVER AND LUND, Sweden, Dec. 13 /CNW/ - Inimex Pharmaceuticals and SARomics Biostructures announce that they have achieved a scientific milestone in their collaboration to solve the structure of Inimex's Innate Defense Regulator (IDR) IMX942 in complex with its target, the ZZ domain of human p62 (sequestosome-1). No structures were previously available for this challenging protein domain. The crystal structure determined by SARomics Biostructures provides invaluable information that will assist the functional understanding of IMX942 and the development of the new generation of IDRs.

The p62 ZZ domain was cloned, expressed, purified and crystallized by SARomics Biostructures in collaboration with their molecular biology partner Vectron Biosolutions in Trondheim, Norway. Excellent crystallographic data were obtained at the MAX-lab synchrotron in Lund, Sweden.

"We are very excited to be able to help Inimex Pharmaceuticals fully leverage the potential of IMX942 by revealing the molecular details of its interactions with its target protein", says Dr. Derek Logan, Chief Scientific Officer of SARomics Biostructures AB.

About IMX942
IMX942 is the first of a new class of drugs known as Innate Defense Regulators (IDRs), which improve survival, ameliorate tissue damage and reduce bacterial infections through modulation of innate defenses. IMX942 is a small, proprietary, fully synthetic peptide that binds to the intracellular adaptor protein p62 and modifies the signaling network downstream of TLR, TNF, and IL-1 receptors. IMX942 acts on the final common pathways of pathogenesis, being effective against antibiotic resistant infections and controlling the outcome of disease caused by a broad spectrum of pathogens, by chemotherapy and by localized radiation.

About Inimex Pharmaceuticals
Inimex Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a privately held biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of new medicines based on the selective modulation of the innate immune response. The Company's first drug candidate, IMX942, has completed Phase 1 clinical studies in healthy volunteers and is in development for a number of indications, including control of disease in high-risk patients in the hospital setting.

About SARomics Biostructures AB
SARomics Biostructures is the leading Scandinavian provider of structural biology and in silico drug discovery services. The privately held company accelerates its customers' drug discovery processes by providing contract R&D support in the areas of protein crystallization, protein structure determination, NMR spectroscopy and computational chemistry. SARomics Biostructures is equipped with state-of-the-art robotics for low volume high-throughput crystallization and X-ray diffraction experiments. Its strategic location close to the MAX-lab synchrotron radiation facility in Lund, Sweden provides instant access to beamlines for data collection enabling rapid project turnaround.

For further information:

For more information, please visit www.inimexpharma.com. For further general information please visit www.saromics.com or contact Dr. Björn Walse, Director Sales & Marketing, [email protected], tel. [phone].