Gilead Sciences to donate $1.1 million annually to establish new research center in Prague

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, July 13 - Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced Thursday a donation to The Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic for the establishment of a Gilead Sciences Research Center.

Gilead said it will provide a $1.1 million annual donation to the institute for an initial five-year term to fund the center's operations and ongoing research, according to a company news release.

The institute said it will use the donations to establish and support the Gilead Sciences Research Center, which will consist of selected research groups led by the scientists at the institute.

Gilead and the institute said they will establish the Gilead distinguished chair in medicinal chemistry.

The institute's Antonin Holy will be the first to hold the position of distinguished chair and will continue to lead research in nucleoside and nucleotide drug discovery.

The center's operations will be governed by a steering committee and monitored by an advisory board, officials said.

In 1991 and 1992, Gilead entered into license agreements with the institute and the Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholic University in Leuven, Belgium, that cover a large number of nucleotide analogue compounds and structures.

Several of these nucleotide compounds, specifically HPMPC, PMPA and PMEA, discovered through a collaborative research effort between Holy and Erik DeClercq, Rega Institute, were developed by Gilead, resulting in Vistide (cidofovir injection) for the treatment of CMV retinitis in AIDS patients, Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) for the treatment of HIV infection and Hepsera (adefovir dipivoxil) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B.

Gilead and the institute also announced Thursday that they have entered into a separate arrangement under which Gilead will provide patent services to the institute. As part of this arrangement, Gilead said it will have the first right of refusal to license technologies in certain therapeutic areas from the institute.

Gilead is a Foster City, Calif., biopharmaceutical company.

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