DNAPrint Pharmaceuticals / Harvard Study Shows PT-401 to Be Three Times More Potent Than Conventional EPOs in Treating Anemia
Internet Wire via COMTEX
Dec 8, 2006 7:00:38 AM
"Important Therapeutic Advantages" Are Suggested; Results to Be Released at American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting
SARASOTA, FL, Dec 08, 2006 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network) --
DNAPrint Genomics, Inc. (OTCBB: DNAG) today announced the results of preclinical studies conducted by the Company and Harvard Medical School on the Company's proprietary PT-401 protein. The studies demonstrate that PT-401 is three times more effective than conventional EPO treatments, and conclude that PT-401 has "biological activities superior to those of EPO monomer, suggesting important therapeutic advantages."
The results of the study will be formally presented by Drs. Jee-Yeong Jeong and Arthur J. Sytkowski on Dec. 9, 2006, at the American Society of Hematology 48th Annual Meeting and Exposition in Orlando, Fla. Dr. Sytkowski is the Director of the Laboratory for Cell and Molecular Biology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
The study's purpose was to determine whether it was possible to develop a more effective erythropoiesis stimulating agent (ESA) than human erythropoietin (EPO, epoetin), which is widely used in the treatment of certain forms of anemia but which has a relatively short in vivo half-life, resulting in considerably high and frequent doses in order to maintain therapeutic effectiveness. The study, conducted over a seven day period using laboratory mice, showed that the "super EPO" that forms the basis for PT-401, and which comprises EPO-dimer and EPO-trimer fusion proteins that were comprised of "head-to-tail" repeats, is up to three times more effective than conventional EPO treatments, exhibiting enhanced biological properties in vitro and in vivo.
"Dr. Sytkowski is one of the foremost scientists in the field of therapeutic protein research, particularly Erythropoietin," stated DNAPrint Chairman and Chief Medical Officer Hector J. Gomez, M.D., Ph.D. "We are proud that our affiliation with Dr. Sytkowski and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has produced this research, which shows the promise of PT-401 in treating chronic anemia due to renal failure, cancer, or other causes."
"This study is an important step in the advancement of PT-401 as a potential competitor in the EPO market, which currently exceeds $10 billion and is rapidly growing," stated DNAPrint Genomics President and Chief Executive Officer Richard J. Gabriel. "This study is just one step, however, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with Dr. Sytkowski as this project advances."
PT-401 is a "Super EPO," a more powerful erythropoiesis stimulating agent than Erythropoietin, a well-known drug used for the treatment of anemia. Previously, DNAPrint Pharmaceuticals, the Company's wholly owned subsidiary, announced three successful milestones related to PT-401: the use of CHO cell lines, the use of SDS-PAGE, a well-established separation technique for the testing of cell lines, and a specially developed isoelectric focusing (IEF) method. The initial research has been conducted in conjunction with Dr. Sytkowski.
In addition to Dr. Sytkowski, research was carried out with Drs. Jee-Yeong Jeong, Changmin Chen and Kerry L. Davis of the Laboratory for Cell and Molecular Biology, Division of Hematology and Oncology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
The study was conducted in conjunction with the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory in the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the University of California at Los Angeles and included Drs. Andreas Breidbach and Don H. Caitin.
The study and its results are illustrated in a multi-color poster that Dr. Sytkowski will distribute as part of the presentation.
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