$14.2 million NIH contract awarded for pathogen drug and diagnostic development.

2004 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Myriad Genetics, Inc., (NASDAQ:MYGN) announced that it has been awarded a five-year, $14.2 million contract by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The agreement recognizes Myriad's expertise in pathogen-host protein interaction analysis, which has previously been applied by the company to a range of anti-viral drug programs. Specifically, this expertise has been key to Myriad's anti-HIV therapeutic development program, which produced an exciting lead drug candidate, MPI-49839, that is now approaching the human clinical trial stage.

Myriad will use its expertise to characterize pathogen-host protein interactions in an effort to discover targets for the next generation of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. These targets provide a starting point for development of products that focus on microorganisms and pathogens.

Protein interaction and validation data will be made available to the research and development community through the Proteomics Research Program Administrative Center. Myriad retains the rights to commercialize diagnostic and therapeutic targets discovered from the project.

"We are pleased to be in a position to make a significant contribution to combating a number of potentially dangerous viral and microbial agents," said Jerry Lanchbury, PhD, senior vice president of research at Myriad Genetics, Inc.

"In particular, we will study the ways in which the pathogens interact with the cellular machinery of their human hosts. Myriad's work with the viruses that cause AIDS and hepatitis, among others, provides a convincing demonstration ...