Compugen share jumps on positive peptide results
The peptide showed positive therapeutic effects in an animal model of pulmonary fibrosis.
Yael Gruntman17 Mar 09 18:49
Compugen Ltd. (Nasdaq: CGEN; TASE:CGEN) today reported that its petide CGEN-250009 showed positive therapeutic effects in an animal model of pulmonary fibrosis. The Relaxin receptor is the third G-protein coupled receptor for which Compugen-discovered peptides have shown therapeutic potential in disease models.
Compugen's share rose 11.4% on the news to $0.49 in morning trading on Nasdaq today, giving a market cap of $13.97 million.
Compugen VP R&D Dr. Anat Cohen-Dayag said, “These results suggest that CGEN-25009 prevents pulmonary fibrosis in a disease animal model and therefore could have a potential therapeutic utility to treat pulmonary fibrosis and other fibrosis related conditions, such as chronic renal failure.”
Professor Daniele Bani from the University of Florence, Italy, who performed the animal study and is a recognized world expert in this field added, “To my knowledge, this would be the first report on the therapeutic effectiveness of an analogue of Relaxin. In view of the increasing interest in Relaxin as a possible drug and considering the problems inherent in producing enough of this hormone at a reasonably low cost, it could be foreseen that such information would be enthusiastically welcomed.”
Pulmonary fibrosis is a devastating incurable condition, the cause for which is unknown in most cases. It is estimated to affect more than five million people worldwide with tens of thousands of new cases every year in the US. More than 60% of patients diagnosed with the condition survive less than five years.
In 2007, Compugen announced the development of its GPCR Ligand Discovery Platform and its subsequent validation through the prediction and selection of several novel peptides that specifically activate various GPCRs.
Compugen CTO Dr. Yossi Cohen added, “The growing body of positive results for the initial peptides predicted by our GPCR Ligand Discovery Platform is extremely encouraging. In February of last year we announced positive in-vivo results for two peptide ligands of the MAS GPCR indicating cardio-protective effects and therapeutic potential for the treatment of various cardiovascular diseases. These results were presented at the VII International Symposium on Vasoactive Peptides. In addition, a few months ago we announced the signing of a collaboration agreement with Merck KGaA, acting for its pharmaceutical division Merck Serono, covering a peptide ligand for the FPRL1 GPCR, which was shown in experimental studies to have potential to treat inflammatory diseases and other indications.”
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 17, 2009
