Sygnature and RespiVert yesterday provided an update on their research collaboration, first announced in January 2008. Under the terms of the agreement Sygnature have provided a comprehensive medicinal chemistry discovery platform for two of RespiVert's leading programmes aimed at identifying novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of poorly controlled, steroid refractory pulmonary disease.

Dr John Murray, Director of Medicinal Chemistry at RespiVert said, "We selected Sygnature as the first of our principal collaborators, in September 2007, based upon their outstanding track record in providing 'state-of-the-art' medicinal chemistry to drug discovery clients in the UK and abroad. After working in close partnership with our Sygnature colleagues throughout this period, our high expectations of them have been fully realised. Together, we have established an integrated drug discovery team which has created a valuable portfolio of IP assets and delivered preclinical candidates in two of our respiratory disease-focused programmes. I have been particularly impressed with the intellectual input that Sygnature's scientists have made to our research enterprise; their flair for providing innovative solutions to difficult problems and their consistently high level of productivity. We are delighted with the success of our association with Sygnature and pleased to acknowledge the important contribution they have made to RespiVert's accomplishments over the last two years.