Axys Pharmaceuticals

Axys Pharmaceuticals was a biotechnology company specializing in the discovery and development of small molecule therapeutics, with a primary focus on protease inhibitors. The company was formed in 1998 through the merger of Arris Pharmaceutical Corporation and Sequana Therapeutics, effectively combining expertise in structure-based drug design with genomics. Its research programs targeted a variety of conditions, including osteoporosis, asthma, and cardiovascular diseases, through the inhibition of specific enzymes like Cathepsin K and tryptase. Axys maintained several high-profile collaborations with major pharmaceutical companies such as Merck and SmithKline Beecham. In 2001, the company was acquired by Celera Genomics to integrate its drug discovery pipeline with Celera's genomic data.