AVI BioPharma's NEUGENE Antisense Shows Inhibition of Dengue Virus.Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers BIOWIRE2K Seventh International Symposium on Positive-Strand RNA Viruses PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 1, 2004 AVI BioPharma, Inc. (Nasdaq:AVII) presented results of a study showing inhibition of dengue virus with its NEUGENE(R) antisense compounds at the Seventh International Symposium on Positive-Strand RNA Viruses held in San Francisco May 27-June 1. Dengue virus is a single-stranded RNA virus that is endemic in most tropical countries of the South Pacific, Asia, the Caribbean, the Americas and Africa. "This presentation describes how AVI's NEUGENE antisense compounds specifically block dengue dengue or breakbone fever or dandy fever Infectious, disabling mosquito-borne fever. Other symptoms include extreme joint pain and stiffness, intense pain behind the eyes, a return of fever after brief pause, and a characteristic rash. viral replication in cell culture," said Patrick L. Iversen, Ph.D., senior vice president of research and development at AVI (Audio Video Interleaved) A Windows multimedia video format from Microsoft. It interleaves standard waveform audio and digital video frames (bitmaps) to provide reduced animation at 15 fps at 160x120x8 resolution. Audio is 11,025Hz, 8-bit samples. . "These results suggest that our NEUGENE antisense compound has therapeutic potential for the control of dengue virus infections." The study, conducted in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agency of the U.S. Public Health Service since 1973, with headquarters in Atlanta; it was established in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center. (CDC See Control Data, century date change and Back Orifice. CDC - Control Data Corporation ), evaluated the ability of AVI's NEUGENE compounds to inhibit replication of dengue virus strains 1 through 4. Dengue virus is a member of the flavivirus (Flaviviridae) family, which includes hepatitis C virus
abbr. hepatitis C virus HCV 1 Hepatitis C virus, see there 2. Human coronavirus. See Coronavirus. ), yellow fever virus yellow fever virus n. An arbovirus of the genus Flavivirus that causes yellow fever and is transmitted by mosquitoes. and West Nile virus West Nile virus, microorganism and the infection resulting from it, which typically produces no symptoms or a flulike condition. The virus is a flavivirus and is related to a number of viruses that cause encephalitis. , as well as a number of viruses associated with bioterrorism. The presentation was made by David Stein, a principal scientist at AVI BioPharma. "Outbreaks of dengue virus represent a major global public health problem, especially in certain subtropical and tropical locations," said Peter O'Hanley, Ph.D., M.D., M.P.H., senior vice president of clinical development and regulatory affairs at AVI. "There is an urgent need to test worthwhile novel preventative and therapeutic agents to control dengue since there are no approved drugs or vaccines for this infection or disease. These new scientific findings about dengue-targeted NEUGENE compounds foster interest to test them in a number of clinical settings, including in military personnel deployed in hyperendemic dengue locales and in indigenous populations residing in hyperendemic dengue locales." The presentation, titled "Inhibition of Dengue Virus Serotypes 1-4 in Cell Culture with Morpholino Oligomers," describes research evaluating the inhibition of multiple dengue strains using several NEUGENE compounds in cell culture. This study tested five NEUGENE strategies to evaluate which compounds are both specific and efficacious against multiple dengue viral isolates. The best NEUGENE antisense compounds were highly effective against viral infection in cultured cells and were found to inhibit viral titer by up to one-millionfold. The dengue-targeted NEUGENE compounds did not inhibit West Nile viral infection of cells in culture, serving as a control for the specificity of the NEUGENE compounds. About Dengue Virus According to the CDC, dengue fever dengue fever (dĕng`gē, –gā), acute infectious disease caused by four closely related viruses and transmitted by the bite of the Aedes mosquito; it is also known as breakbone fever and bone-crusher disease. and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF DHF dihydrofolate or dihydrofolic acid. ) are viral diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. Dengue is the most rapidly expanding disease in most tropical and subtropical areas of the world. An estimated 50 million to 100 million cases of dengue fever occur each year, 200,000 to 500,000 of which are DHF. The disease is caused by one of four dengue virus strains. Epidemics caused by all four virus strains have become progressively more frequent and larger in the past 20 years. After an incubation period of from three to 14 days, dengue fever is characterized by a sudden onset of high fever, severe frontal headache, and joint and muscle pain. Many patients also experience nausea, vomiting and a rash. The strain of the infecting virus, as well as the age, immune status and genetic predisposition of the patient can all affect whether a person develops general dengue fever or the far more severe and life-threatening DHF. More information about dengue can be found at the CDC Web site, http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/dengue/index.htm. About AVI BioPharma AVI BioPharma develops therapeutic products for the treatment of life-threatening diseases using two technology platforms: third-generation NEUGENE antisense drugs and cancer immunotherapy. AVI's lead NEUGENE antisense compound is designed to target cell proliferation disorders, including cardiovascular restenosis, cancer and polycystic kidney disease Polycystic Kidney Disease Definition Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is one of the most common of all life-threatening human genetic disorders. . In addition to targeting specific genes in the body, AVI's antiviral program uses NEUGENE antisense compounds to target single-stranded RNA viruses, including West Nile virus, SARS coronavirus, calicivirus and hepatitis C. AVI's second technology, AVICINE(R), is a therapeutic cancer vaccine with late-stage trials planned for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. More information about AVI is available on the company's Web site at http://www.avibio.com/. "Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995: The statements that are not historical facts contained in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the results of research and development efforts, the results of preclinical and clinical testing, the effect of regulation by the FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. and other agencies, the impact of competitive products, product development, commercialization and technological difficulties, and other risks detailed in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. |
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