Prizm Pharmaceuticals Inc., a development-stage companylocated in San Diego, announced that it has acquired anexclusive license for proprietary melanoma diagnostictechnology from the Whittier Institute for Diabetes andEndocrinology at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, Calif.

Whittier's technology covers the isolation, characterization anduse of a unique antibody against tumor cell fibroblast growthfactor (FGF) receptors and the conjugation of the antibody tosaporin, a cell-destroying mitotoxin. Prizm will use thetechnology in the development of two of its products: Melo-Derm diagnostic kit, for identifying cancerous melanocytes onfixed tissue; and Melo-Stat mitotoxin, a mitotoxin conjugate fortargeting FGF receptors for treating malignant melanoma.

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