In October 2000, Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) - itself an early SBIR Awardee - acquired Kinetix Pharmaceuticals, Kinetix had been focused on the discovery and development of novel orally administered drugs that selectively inhibit enzymes known as protein kinases. Therapeutic areas included Immunology, Asthma/Allergy, Inflammation and Oncology/Angiogenesis