January 7, 2003 - Research Triangle Park, NC - Norak Biosciences, Inc. announced today the signing of a collaboration agreement with H. Lundbeck A/S to utilize its Transfluor™ technology for G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) drug discovery. Under the terms of the agreement Norak will develop Transfluor cell lines expressing GPCR targets of interest to Lundbeck and then screen these cell lines on its high throughput imaging systems against its large compound library. Norak will also utilize related secondary assays it has developed.

Norak will receive licensing, assay development and screening fees as well as milestones and royalties. Lundbeck will have the option to license Transfluor for its internal GPCR screening upon completion of the collaboration.

"This is our first such collaboration that takes full advantage of the integrated GPCR primary discovery system we have developed within Norak," commented Dr. Roger D. Blevins, Norak president and CEO. "This type of collaboration is a bridge between our revenue generation and drug discovery strategies."

"This agreement between Norak and H. Lundbeck A/S will further strengthen the capacity of our available screening methodology", commented Dr. P.H. Andersen, H. Lundbeck A/S. "Functional screening at GPCRs is an exciting strategy for discovering novel therapeutic agents. Transfluor technology has the advantage of allowing detection of multiple sites of interaction on a protein of interest including allosteric modulators which are not easily detected using conventional screening technology. The Transfluor technology developed at Norak is a novel approach to such functional screening which we believe will add further value to H. Lundbeck A/S's current pipeline of therapeutic molecules which we develop to relieve diseases related to the central nervous system, such as depression, schizophrenia and neurodegenerative disorders."

For near-term growth and revenue, Norak is offering access to its technology to the drug discovery industry via licensing and collaborations. For long-term growth and value, Norak has acquired compound libraries and high throughput screening instrumentation to discover certain GPCR-based drugs for its own pipeline.

Norak's Transfluor™ technology is a patented, universal GPCR drug discovery technology designed to be the most direct and accurate method for screening potential drug candidates against GPCR targets, whether known or orphan. Transfluor was licensed in 1999 by Norak from technology developed at Duke University Medical Center and represents the combined research into GPCR signaling pathways over several decades by Norak's scientific founders, Drs. Marc Caron, Robert Lefkowitz, and Larry Barak.

About Lundbeck:
H. Lundbeck A/S is an international pharmaceutical company engaged in the research and development, production, marketing and sale of drugs for the treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders. In 2001, the Company's revenue was DKK 7.7 billion. The number of employees is approx. 4,800.

About Norak:
Norak Biosciences, Inc., headquartered in Research Triangle Park, NC, is a private biotechnology company. Norak is utilizing its proprietary Transfluor technology to become a world leader in the discovery and development of drugs that regulate G protein-coupled receptors. For more information about Norak Biosciences, Inc., please visit the Company's website at http://www.norakbio.com.
 

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