AVI BioPharma Scientist Awarded Department of Defense Grant to Develop Prostate Cancer Therapeutics Based On Antisense Technology.Business/High-Tech Editors, Health/Medical Writers PORTLAND, Ore.--(BW HealthWire)--Dec. 21, 2000 Senior Scientist Gayathri Devi, Ph.D. to Receive $225,000 Grant for Prostate Cancer prostate cancer, cancer originating in the prostate gland. Prostate cancer is the leading malignancy in men in the United States and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in men. Collaborative Research AVI BioPharma, Inc. (Nasdaq:AVII) (Nasdaq:AVIIW) (Nasdaq:AVIIZ) today announced that one of its senior scientists, Gayathri Devi, Ph.D., was awarded a $225,000 grant to pursue development of therapeutics to fight prostate cancer using AVI's proprietary 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). drug platform. The grant was awarded by the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program and will help fund the Company's ongoing cancer research collaborations with Oregon Health Sciences University, Oregon State University Oregon State University, at Corvallis; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1858 as Corvallis College, opened 1865. In 1868 it was designated Oregon's land-grant agricultural college and was taken over completely by the state in 1885. , and the University of Washington. "This grant award demonstrates that 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. is conducting innovative research in battling prostate cancer via drug interactions at the genetic level," said Dr. Devi. "The grant helps move AVI's antisense program closer to Phase I clinical trials in prostate cancer. This study may lead to development of a novel therapeutic approach for both the initial stages and the incurable metastatic Metastatic The term used to describe a secondary cancer, or one that has spread from one area of the body to another. Mentioned in: Coagulation Disorders metastatic pertaining to or of the nature of a metastasis. forms of prostate cancer. On a broader scale, the results of the research may translate to other hormone-dependent cancers, such as breast cancer." The three-year award was the result of a competitive review by the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program. It is administered by the U.S. Army Medical and Materiel ma·te·ri·el or ma·té·ri·el n. The equipment, apparatus, and supplies of a military force or other organization. See Synonyms at equipment. Command through the Office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP CDMRP Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program CDMRP California Disaster Medical Response Plan ). The government grant is intended to promote innovative, multi-institutional, multidisciplinary and regionally focused research directed toward eliminating prostate cancer. Dr. Devi's application was among 92 successful applications selected from 680 proposals submitted to this government program. "AVI's aims are to improve understanding of factors regulating growth of prostate cancer at different stages of progression," said AVI's Senior Vice President of Research and Development Patrick L. Iversen, Ph.D. "From our promising pre-clinical results in proliferative disease, we believe that our NEUGENE antisense agents may prove themselves to be ideal cancer therapeutics." Prostate cancer is second most frequent cause of cancer death in U.S. males. Most common treatments are hormonal/androgren deprivation therapy. For more information regarding the CDMRP grant, visit the program's web site at http://cdmrp.army.mil. 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, a therapeutic cancer vaccine, is undergoing a Phase II trial in pancreatic cancer, and will soon enter a Phase III pivotal trial in colorectal cancer and a Phase II trial in prostate 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 oncogene Gene that can cause cancer. It is a sequence of DNA that has been altered or mutated from its original form, the proto-oncogene (see mutation). Proto-oncogenes promote the specialization and division of normal cells. c-myc. Resten-NG is currently in Phase II trials for cardiovascular restenosis. More information about AVI is available 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 pre-clinical 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. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion