DNAprint Genomics (DNAG)

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4/05 - Wallstreet transcript - DNAP & AMGEN - what is under discussion on SUPER EPO:

TWST: What about the pharmaceutical prospects?

Mr. Gabriel: While we see our forensics business as an engine that will generate revenues for the company, one of our fundamental goals is to apply this technology to drug development. We recently took a big step in that direction by acquiring an exclusive worldwide license from Harvard Medical School's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).
This is a royalty bearing agreement that creates an opportunity for DNAPrint genomics to develop a new, more potent and longer acting form of the anemia drug Erythropoietin (EPO). EPO is currently commercialized by Amgen, Johnson & Johnson and Roche in a worldwide market that exceeds $10 billion and that has been growing at an average annual rate of 21%. The human gene that produces EPO was cloned in 1985 and in 1989, scientists at Amgen introduced to market a recombinant form under the trade name EPOGEN', a drug that many credit for the rise of Amgen in the
1990s as one of the world's most successful biotechnology companies ever. Erythropoietin has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for anemia associated with renal failure, cancer chemotherapy, and Zidovudine-treated HIV-infected patients and to reduce blood transfusion in surgery patients. Our goal is to develop and market a 'super'-EPO, a more powerful form of the drug. This is a perfect fit within the company's overarching strategy to utilize recent genomics and chemistry advances made by our researchers to develop next-
generation drugs that maximize efficacy and minimize side effects by tailoring medication for specific individuals and well-defined population sectors.

Ann