AVI BioPharma Inc. to Present Prostate Cancer Study Data at Scientific Retreat.

Health/Medical Writers

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BW HealthWire)--Sept. 10, 2001

AVI BioPharma, Inc. (Nasdaq:AVII) (Nasdaq: AVIIW, AVIIZ) will present findings about the development of AVI-4126, its third-generation NEUGENE(R) antisense technology to treat prostate cancer, at the invitation-only, Eighth Annual CaP CURE prostate cancer scientific retreat.

AVI scientist Gayathri Devi, Ph.D., will present preclinical study results that show AVI 4126 targets and interferes with c-myc translation, thereby inhibiting cancer cell growth and causing cell death in prostate cancer tumors.

The c-myc oncogene is a cellular transcription factor involved in cell proliferation disorders and is a critical factor in developing prostate tumors. The oncogene is also expressed in other disease settings such as various inflammatory diseases, polycystic kidney disease, and certain sites of injury. Study data showed that AVI-4126 decreased tumor growth and mass.

"Results from this study will help us refine the formulation of the compounds to be used in our human prostate cancer trials as we continue on the path toward developing AVI-4126 into a novel therapy for this disease," said Denis R. Burger, Ph.D., CEO of AVI. "We are developing other NEUGENE compounds to block tumor growth, to prevent coronary artery occlusion following balloon angioplasty, and to inhibit progression of polycystic kidney disease, and have already taken some applications into the clinic."

A current multi-center Phase II trial is examining the use of NEUGENE aimed at the same c-myc target to prevent cardiac restenosis, and a Phase I/II trial is underway evaluating NEUGENE use in different types of cancer, including breast, lung, prostate and colon tumors.

Based in Santa Monica, Calif., CaP Cure, the Association for the Cure of Cancer of the Prostate, is a nonprofit public charity founded in 1993. The organization identifies, stimulates and rapidly funds promising prostate cancer research and accelerates its conversion into treatments and cures. The annual retreat facilitates collaborations between prostate cancer investigators. More information about CaP CURE and current research efforts in prostate cancer is available at http://www.capcure.org.

AVI BioPharma develops therapeutic products for the treatment of life-threatening diseases using two technology platforms: cancer immunotherapy and gene-targeted drugs. Its lead clinical agent, AVICINE(TM), a therapeutic cancer vaccine, has completed enrollment in a Phase II trial in pancreatic cancer, and is in a Phase III pivotal trial in colorectal cancer. The first application of its NEUGENE compounds, Resten-NG, is designed to treat cancer, cardiovascular restenosis and other cell proliferation disorders by inhibiting the production of a cellular transcription factor, the oncogene c-myc. It is currently in a Phase II trial for restenosis and a Phase I/II study for cancer. More information about AVI is available at http://www.avibio.com.

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