This sounds promising -- but note that it is only in pre-clinical trial
stage - it will take a number of years of testing to determine if it
proves to be a successful therapy. But even so - it's good news
Linda
FROM: Regulatory News Service
November 12, 2001 Monday 02:09 AM Eastern Time
HEADLINE: Oxford Biomedica PLC - Research Update
Oxford Biomedica PLC
12 November 2001
For immediate release
For further information, please contact:
Oxford BioMedica plc
Professor Alan Kingsman, Chief Executive Tel: +44 (0) 1865
783 000
POSITIVE PRECLINICAL RESULTS
IN GENE THERAPY FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Oxford, United Kingdom - 12 November 2001. Oxford BioMedica plc (LSE:OXB)
("
BioMedica") announced today that it has presented preclinical data for
its
Parkinson's disease product, ProSavin(R) at the 31st Annual Meeting of
the
American Society of Neurosciences which is being held in San Diego,
California
between the 10th and 15th of November 2001. The data show that the
administration of ProSavin(R) in a preclinical disease model leads to the
production of dopamine in brain cells that were previously unable to
produce
the neurotransmitter and that it corrects Parkinson's disease-like
symptoms.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterised by
the
death of brain cells that produce the neurotransmitter, dopamine.
Dopamine
controls movement and its loss leads to the familiar symptoms of PD i.e.
rigidity, resting tremor and motor function impairment resulting in slow
movements and poor balance. The disease affects approximately 2.5
million
people worldwide.
Current treatments include oral administration of L-dopa, the precursor
of
dopamine which can restore some degree of motor function. However, the
systemic administration of this drug soon becomes ineffective and has
serious
side effects. As a result, the directors of BioMedica believe there is
still
an unmet medical need for an effective treatment for this disease.
ProSavin(R) is a LentiVector(R) which delivers three genes required for
dopamine synthesis to brain cells that do not normally produce it. This
results in these cells becoming endogenous factories for dopamine,
thereby
replacing the dopamine-producing cells that die during the course of PD.
This
achieves the goal of local and continuous production of dopamine without
the
systemic adverse effects of L-dopa administration.
Commenting on the preclinical results presented, Chief Executive,
Professor
Alan Kingsman said:
"Through our research, we have shown that ProSavin(R) is the first gene
therapeutic product to deliver more than one gene into brain cells at
precisely the site for treating PD. It is also the first of its type to
demonstrate effectiveness in reversing symptoms of the disease in
well-known
model systems. Preclinical development of ProSavin(R) is ongoing and we
look
forward to keeping shareholders updated on progress."
-Ends-
Notes to Editors
1. Oxford BioMedica plc
Established in 1995, the Company specialises in the application of
gene-based
technology to the development of novel therapeutics. Its three principal
activities are in the fields of gene therapy, immunotherapy and genomics,
and
its principal therapeutic areas are in cancer and neurodegenerative
diseases.
Oxford BioMedica plc was floated on the Alternative Investment Market of
the
London Stock Exchange in December 1996, and upgraded to the United
Kingdom
Listing Authority Official List in April 2001 following a successful
#35.5
million fund-raising.
Oxford BioMedica has operating centres in Oxford, UK and San Diego, USA
Currently Oxford BioMedica has corporate collaborations with Aventis,
AstraZeneca, IDM, Nycomed Amersham, Valentis, Virbac and Wyeth. BioMedica
has
two products in Phase I/II clinical trials: MetXia(R) for late-stage
breast
cancer, and TroVax(R) for late-stage colorectal cancer.
2. LentiVector(R)
In gene therapy, the aim is to deliver a gene and its necessary
regulatory
elements (the gene construct) to the cell surface, using a vector to
mediate
the transfer across the cell membrane and, in some cases, into the
nucleus.
LentiVector(R) is a new and increasingly powerful vector system based on
lentiviruses, which have similar features to retroviruses in the ease of
manipulation, predictable integration and reliable gene expression and
regulation. However, their main advantage over retroviruses is the
ability to
function in non-dividing cells or cells that are dividing slowly - a
feature
of many clinically important tissues including the central and peripheral
nervous systems.
Oxford BioMedica is a leader in the development and application of
lentiviral
vectors. Its proprietary LentiVector(R) technology is protected by
international patents, including recently granted US patents.
ProSavin(R) is based on equine infective anaemia virus (EIAV) EIAV is one
of
the most simple lentiviruses and is not known to cause disease in humans.
For
use in gene therapy, the virus is engineered so that it delivers only
therapeutic genes and not viral genes. LentiVector(R) also has important
potential applications in product development and target validation of
genomic
targets.
3. World Wide Web
This release is also available on the World Wide Web at
http://www.oxfordbiomedica.co.uk
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