Exelixis, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXEL) today announced that it has licensed powerful genetic technology to enable "forward genetic" analysis in the laboratory mouse. The license will enhance Exelixis' capabilities in vertebrate systems under its integrated model system genetics and comparative genomics platform, and may allow Exelixis to identify key disease genes or drug targets that would be difficult to identify with alternative mouse technologies.

The licensed technology was originally developed by Dr. William Dove of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and represents a powerful approach for elucidating gene function. This technology enables a researcher to assign a gene to a particular biochemical or disease-related signaling pathway and to establish the consequence of modifying its activity with respect to a desired therapeutic outcome. Because drugs typically function by modifying a gene's activity, this information is crucial for the identification and validation of novel therapeutic drug targets. The licensed technology is similar to approaches already reduced to practice by Exelixis scientists in invertebrate and non-mammalian model systems.

"With the anticipated completion of the mouse genome sequence, and the significant recent investment by the NIH and European funding agencies to improve mouse genetic and genomic tools, this represents the opportune time for Exelixis to complement its existing technology with forward mouse genetics," said Geoffrey Duyk, M.D., Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Exelixis. "Furthermore, application of the technology underlying this license, in combination with anticipated improvements in technology directed at the detection of DNA sequence variation, may allow us to supplant conventional mouse knockout technology as the method of choice for altering a specific gene in a laboratory mouse."

Dr. Duyk continued, "Each model genetic system has both strengths and limitations and as such, Exelixis is committed to building and maintaining state-of-the-art capabilities in all important model systems. This technology represents an important addition to our capability to discover and validate important genes in mice."

Exelixis, Inc. is a leading biotechnology company focused on the life sciences industries through its expertise in comparative genomics and model system genetics. These technologies provide a rapid, efficient and cost-effective way to move from DNA sequence data to knowledge about the function of genes and the proteins that they encode. The company's technology is broadly applicable to all life sciences industries including pharmaceutical, diagnostic, agricultural biotechnology and animal health. Exelixis has partnerships with Bayer, Pharmacia and Bristol-Myers Squibb and is leveraging these relationships to fund its internal development program in the area of oncology. For more information, please visit the company's web site at www.exelixis.com.