AVI BioPharma Receives Notice of Allowance for Key Patent Application Covering NEUGENE Antisense Technology for RNA Viruses.PORTLAND, Ore. -- Fourteen RNA Viruses RNA viruses, n See viruses. Included in Broad Patent Coverage AVI BioPharma, Inc. (Nasdaq:AVII), today announced it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent Office for a patent application that covers a large portion of its NEUGENE(R) antisense antisense, DNA or RNA manipulated in a laboratory so that its components (nucleotides) form a complementary copy of normal, or "sense," messenger RNA (mRNA; see nucleic acid). antiviral technology. The patent covers 14 single-stranded RNA viruses from four families including hepatitis viruses, Norwalk virus Nor·walk virus n. A norovirus. Norwalk virus (nôr´wôlk), n. , rhinoviruses and coxsackie viruses. The covered viruses cause a range of human diseases including acute and chronic hepatitis, intestinal diarrhea, myocarditis Myocarditis Definition Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the heart muscle (myocardium) that can result from a variety of causes. While most cases are produced by a viral infection, an inflammation of the heart muscle may also be instigated by , and the common cold, among others. "Our previous experience using our proprietary NEUGENE antisense technology to develop drugs against West Nile and SARS coronaviruses provides a solid framework for developing therapeutic agents against a broader range of viruses, including hepatitis C and dengue virus, which are important global health issues," said Denis Denis, king of Portugal: see Diniz. R. Burger, Ph.D., chief executive officer of 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. . "With this patent allowance, AVI is positioned to move aggressively forward with its patented NEUGENE technology targeting most, if not all, RNA viruses. Currently, we are finishing our preclinical work in preparation for an IND filing with 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 initial clinical trials in hepatitis C, which we expect to begin next year." The patent, titled Antisense Antiviral Agent and Method for Treating ssRNA Viral Infection, includes antisense compounds against RNA viruses from the picornavirus picornavirus Any of a group of the smallest known animal viruses. (Pico refers to their small size, rna to their core of RNA.) This group of spheroidal viruses includes viruses that attack the vertebrate intestinal tract and often invade the central nervous system as well , calicivirus, togavirus and flavivirus families, where the antisense agent has an uncharged morpholino backbone supporting a targeting base sequence complementary to a viral target sequence that spans the translation initiation region of the virus. This is AVI's patented NEUGENE technology targeting the translation start site of RNA viruses. In April 2003, AVI filed a supplement to this application to claim additional RNA viruses including SARS coronavirus 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. . AVI believes its NEUGENE antisense "rapid response therapeutics" have a significant role to play in the future of antiviral therapeutics. NEUGENEs are synthetic compounds that mirror a critical portion of a disease-causing organism's genetic code and bind to specific portions of the target genetic sequence. Like a key in a lock, NEUGENE antisense compounds are designed to match up perfectly with a specific gene or viral sequence, blocking the function of the target gene or virus. Unlike other antisense technologies, AVI's NEUGENE drug candidates have exhibited an excellent safety profile with no drug-related adverse events in 11 clinical trials to date. 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 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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