Amgen 2001 Annual Report Download - page 24

Before specific therapeutic candidates can
be identified for development, extensive
research is required to understand the
biological foundations of a disease and the
body’s response to combat it. Amgen’s
research programs study disease at the
cellular and molecular level, seeking to
understand the individual impact and
potential therapeutic value of a range of
naturally occurring human proteins and
antibodies, as well as synthetically
derived small molecules.
Amgen’s genomics program uses
genetic tools to implicate human protein
hormones and growth factors in disease
processes. One of the significant discover-
ies to emerge from Amgen’s research is
osteoprotegerin (OPG),a protein found to
be important in maintaining bone density.
Its discovery–a seminal event in bone
research–could lead to a therapeutic to
combat bone-related diseases, including
osteoporosis and the consequences of
some types of cancer.
In addition to its protein discovery
efforts, Amgen investigates other
therapeutic modalities including small
molecules derived through chemical
synthesis. Drugs small enough to be
absorbed after oral ingestion and to
penetrate and target molecular structures
within the cell could yield therapeutic
alternatives to larger, naturally occurring
proteins. Amgen uses new techniques in
robotics and miniaturization to synthesize
and test thousands of these small mole-
cules quickly and cost-efficiently.
Amgen’s genomics research
program led to the discovery
of osteoprotegerin, a protein
that plays an important role
in maintaining bone density
and may lead to an effective
therapeutic in the treatment of
bone-related diseases.
External partnerships and
research collaborations
continue to play a key role
in Amgen’s search for break-
through therapeutics based
on today’s most advanced
scientific capabilities.
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