GLPG Galapagos

    Mechelen, Belgium and  Bristol, United  Kingdom; 15  February 2007  -
Galapagos NV (Euronext  & LSE:  GLPG) and the  University of  Bristol
today announced a new  drug discovery collaboration  in the field  of
cancer research.    Galapagos'  service division  BioFocus  DPI  will
provide lead  optimization  services  for  a  University  of  Bristol
research program focusing on destroying cancer cells.  Total contract
value for  Galapagos exceeds  �2 million  in research  fees over  two
years.

Scientists  at  ProXara  Biotechnology  Ltd,  a  spin-out  from   the
University of  Bristol,  have  discovered  drug-like  compounds  that
prevent PKB activation and  that make tumour  cells commit suicide.
The University of Bristol  has recently been  awarded a �4.3  million
research grant  from  the  Wellcome Trust's  Seeding  Drug  Discovery
Initiative to take  this research  programme forward.   BioFocus  DPI
will apply its lead optimization expertise and its Admensa technology
to help  the  University of  Bristol  team optimize  these  drug-like
compounds and select a candidate for clinical trials.

"This new collaboration with the University of Bristol validates  the
strategy behind  the  Inpharmatica  acquisition," said  Onno  van  de
Stolpe, Chief  Executive Officer  of Galapagos.  "The combination  of
Inpharmatica's Admensa  and our  medicinal chemistry  expertise is  a
powerful drug discovery tool."

"The innovation  of  BioFocus  DPI's scientists,  together  with  the
support of the Wellcome Trust, will help us to accelerate development
of our anti-cancer  compounds," said Professor  Jeremy Tavar� of  the
University of Bristol's Department of Biochemistry.

About protein kinase B
All cells in the human body contain protein kinase B, a naturally
occurring enzyme that, if active, prevents cells from committing
suicide.  Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is an important
process in the body's development but, when this process goes wrong,
unregulated cell growth occurs, leading to the development of
tumours.


About Galapagos
Galapagos (Euronext Brussels, GLPG; Euronext Amsterdam, GLPGA; London
AiM: GLPG) is a drug discovery company with clinical and pre-clinical
programs in bone and joint diseases, cachexia, and menopausal hot
flashes.  Its division BioFocus DPI offers a full suite of
target-to-drug discovery products and services to pharmaceutical and
biotech companies, encompassing target discovery and validation,
screening and drug discovery through to delivery of pre-clinical
candidates.  BioFocus DPI also provides adenoviral reagents for rapid
identification and validation of novel drug targets, compound
libraries for drug screening as well as chemogenomics and ADME[1]
database products to select targets and compounds.  Galapagos
currently employs 450 people and operates facilities in eight
countries, with global headquarters in Mechelen, Belgium.  More
information about Galapagos and BioFocus DPI can be found at
www.glpg.com.

About the University of Bristol Department of Biochemistry
The University of Bristol is one of the leading research universities
in the UK, having an excellent national and international  reputation
in research,  teaching  and  global discovery.    The  University  is
committed to combining its excellence in research and innovation with
a vibrant enterprise culture and is working with government, industry
and  other  partner   organisations  to  encourage   the  growth   of
knowledge-based business in the South West.

The Department of Biochemistry obtained the maximum 5*A rating in the
last Research Assessment  Exercise (RAE), whilst  in the most  recent
assessment of  teaching  quality  and student  support,  the  Quality
Assurance Agency (QAA) awarded  the Department a score  of 24 out  of
24.  Taken  together,  these  make  Bristol  one  of  the  two   most
highly-rated University  Biochemistry  Departments in  the  UK.  More
information can be found at www.bris.ac.uk/biochemistry.

About the Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is  the largest charity in  the UK and the  second
largest medical research charity in  the world.  It funds  innovative
biomedical research, in the  UK and internationally, spending  around
�750 million each year to  support the brightest scientists with  the
best ideas.  The Wellcome  Trust's Seeding Drug Discovery  initiative
aims to  bridge  the  funding  gap  in  early-stage  drug  discovery,
assisting researchers  in  academia  or  companies  to  take  forward
projects in small molecule therapeutics that will be the  springboard
for  further   research   and   development  by   the   biotech   and
pharmaceutical industry.  More information on the Wellcome Trust  can
be found at www.wellcome.ac.uk.


CONTACT

Galapagos NV
Onno van de Stolpe, CEO
Tel: +31 6 2909 8028
Email: ir@glpg.com

University of Bristol
Sadia Haq, Enterprise Marketing Manager
Tel: +44 117 331 7631
Email: sadia.haq@bristol.ac.uk

This  release  may  contain  forward-looking  statements,  including,
without  limitation,  statements  containing  the  words  "believes,"
"anticipates," "expects," "intends,"  "plans," "seeks,"  "estimates,"
"may," "will,"  "could," "stands  to," and  "continues," as  well  as
similar expressions.   Such  forward-looking statements  may  involve
known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which  might
cause  the  actual  results,  financial  condition,  performance   or
achievements of  Galapagos, or  industry  results, to  be  materially
different from any historic or future results, financial  conditions,
performance  or   achievements   expressed   or   implied   by   such
forward-looking statements.  Given these uncertainties, the reader is
advised not  to  place any  undue  reliance on  such  forward-looking
statements.  These  forward-looking statements speak  only as of  the
date of publication of this document.  Galapagos expressly  disclaims
any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements in  this
document to  reflect  any  change in  its  expectations  with  regard
thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which
any such statement is based, unless required by law or regulation.

Admensa(TM) is a trademark of Galapagos NV and/or its affiliates.

[1] ADME is the acronym for Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and
Excretion: Meeting parameters against these four criteria is critical
to the success of a pharmaceutical compound as a drug.






Copyright � Hugin ASA 2007. All rights reserved.

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