AVI BioPharma to Examine Third Generation Antisense In New Prostate Cancer Study.Health/Medical Writers PORTLAND, Ore.--(BW HealthWire)--Aug. 9, 2001 Study on AVI's NEUGENE(R) Platform Could Lead to a Novel Therapeutic Approach for the Deadly Disease AVI BioPharma, Inc. (Nasdaq:AVII)(Nasdaq:AVIIW, AVIIZ) today announced it has begun work on a Department of Defense funded study of its 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 in 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. , the second most frequent cause of cancer death in U.S. males. The study is based on research demonstrating that unchecked cell growth, a major factor in cancer, is the result of faulty hormone or growth factor functions. AVI's antisense will be used in the study to correct these imbalances, thereby stopping the unchecked growth. "This work dovetails with our current Phase I/II human clinical trial of NEUGENES(R) in patients with solid tumors, and demonstrates progress toward our goal to develop cancer therapeutics based on our third generation antisense platform," said AVI's CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Denis Denis, king of Portugal: see Diniz. R. Burger, Ph.D. "In this new study we're looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. novel, effective approaches to fight cancer and demonstrate better patient outcomes with lower costs." Antisense therapeutics halt disease progression by interfering with gene action. AVI's third-generation NEUGENE technology overcomes the hurdles that remain problematic for second-generation technologies still employed by others. The compounds being studied in the current Phase I/II trial were designed to turn off a critical cell proliferation gene. In the Department of Defense-funded study, 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. scientists will use the Company's third-generation technology to regulate programmed cell death pro·grammed cell death n. See apoptosis. programmed cell death proposed system of cell death, often including poly(ADP)-ribosylation, ensures that a cell will not survive if it is so badly damaged that its recovery would harm the by interfering with the insulin-like growth factor insulin-like growth factor one of the twenty or so substances, additional to the classic bone-regulating hormones, which exert an effect on bone cell metabolism. See also somatomedin C. system, and the hormones that control cell growth. Human cells grow and die at regular intervals, and it is when the process stalls, that disorders or diseases such as cancer can occur. "There already exists a strong correlation between high levels of insulin-like growth factor levels and prostate cancer risk. Higher levels of growth factor result in less programmed cell death and more tumors," said AVI's Senior Vice President of Research and Development Patrick L. Iversen, Ph.D. "We're expecting to learn more about the growth factors related to the progression of prostate cancer, and the capacity of NEUGENES to interrupt that disease process at the genetic level. On a broader scale, the results of this research may translate to other hormone-dependent cancers, such as breast cancer." The study is funded by a $225,000 three-year grant from the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program. For more information regarding the grant, visit the program's web site at http://cdmrp.army.mil. AVI senior scientist, Gayathri Devi, Ph.D., is lead investigator on the preclinical study, which involves ongoing cancer research collaborations with Harvard, Vanderbilt, 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. , the University of Washington, and Oregon Health and Sciences University. 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 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. 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. "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. |
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