June 14, 1999
Company Press Release
Avigen's Gene Therapy Technology Shows Promise for Treating Parkinson's
Disease
Research Presented by Dr. Krys Bankiewicz at The American Society of
Gene Therapy Meeting Holds Promise for Novel Therapeutic Approach to
Treating Common Neurological Disease
WASHINGTON, June 14, 1999 /PRNewswire/ -- Krys Bankiewicz, M.D., Ph.D.,
of the National Institutes of Health, in collaboration with Avigen, Inc.
(Nasdaq: AVGN - news) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
presented research results of studies in primates suggesting the
potential for Avigen's gene therapy technology to treat Parkinson's
disease. Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder characterized by
a decrease in spontaneous movements, gait difficulty, postural
instability, rigidity and tremor, which result from a decrease in the
availability of the neuro-transmitter dopamine in the brain. Speaking at
The American Society of Gene Therapy Conference in Washington, DC, Dr.
Bankiewicz announced that dopamine activity could be restored in a
primate model of Parkinson's disease following treatment with Avigen's
adeno associated virus (AAV) vector.
``Researchers in the field of gene therapy have encountered many
obstacles in their attempt to develop an effective therapeutic approach
to treating genetic disorders,'' commented Dr. Bankiewicz. ``Avigen's
AAV based approach to treating Parkinson's disease may hold promise for
the broader application of treating a variety of genetically based
conditions,'' he said. Dr. Bankiewicz's findings represent an important
advance in the potential development of gene therapy treatment for
Parkinson's disease, a common and devastating neuro-degenerative disease
affecting over one million people in the United States.
The strategy behind gene therapy is to provide the patient with the
genetic information needed in order to restore certain biological
activities within the cell. The challenge to date has been to identify a
mechanism by which genetic information can be successfully transferred
to the appropriate cells to the body. Viruses have been identified as
possible delivery agents; however, many viruses are harmful or even
deadly and are effective only under certain carefully controlled
conditions. As a result of its progress with its AAV vector system,
Avigen researchers may have developed a potential solution to this
challenge.
``We are enthusiastic about the possible application of Avigen's gene
therapy technology to Parkinson's disease,'' said John Monahan, Ph.D.,
President and CEO of Avigen. ``If our research findings continue to
exhibit the promise which they have to date, our AAV vector system may
provide an attractive therapeutic alternative for certain genetically
based diseases.''
<snip>
SOURCE: Avigen, Inc.
Copyright © 1999 PRNewswire.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/990614/dc_avigen__1.html
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
<[log in to unmask]>
^^^
\ /
\ | / Today’s Research
\\ | // ...Tomorrow’s Cure
\ | /
\|/
```````
