AVI NEUGENE Antisense Drug Increases Effectiveness Of Chemotherapy in Treating Lung Cancer.Business Editors, Health/Medical Writers PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 31, 2003 AVI BioPharma, Inc. (Nasdaq:AVII)(Nasdaq:AVIIW)(Nasdaq:AVIIZ) today announced results from a preclinical study in which AVI's 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 (AVI-4126) significantly reduced lung cancer lung cancer, cancer that originates in the tissues of the lungs. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States in both men and women. Like other cancers, lung cancer occurs after repeated insults to the genetic material of the cell. growth in a mouse tumor model when given after chemotherapy. The study has been published in the January issue of Anti-Cancer Drugs, 2003, 14(1): 39-47. Chemotherapy resistance remains a significant obstacle to designing effective lung cancer therapy. Researchers have found that lung cancer frequently correlates with an overexpression of the c-myc 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. , a gene that helps regulate cell proliferation and differentiation. As a result, 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 have examined the inhibition of the c-myc gene as a way to slow tumor growth. In the peer-reviewed study, AVI administered AVI-4126 in combination with either cisplatin cisplatin /cis·plat·in/ (sis´plat-in) DDP; a platinum coordination complex capable of producing inter- and intrastrand DNA crosslinks; used as an antineoplastic. cis·plat·in n. or taxol, two common chemotherapy drugs. AVI found that when the antisense drug was administered directly following chemotherapy, a dramatic decrease in the tumor growth rate was observed. The observed effect was specific to AVI-4126, which targeted the c-myc gene. When other NEUGENE antisense drugs targeting different genes (p21 and Rad51) were used in combination with chemotherapy, no such effect was observed. "These are very encouraging data, and they support AVI's antisense approach toward cancer," said Gayathri R. Devi, Ph.D., senior scientist for AVI. "In addition, our research continues to show that the c-myc gene is a promising target for cancer therapy, because it is prevalent in a variety of tumor types and appears to be highly correlated with tumor cell proliferation." About AVI BioPharma AVI BioPharma develops therapeutic products for the treatment of life-threatening diseases using two technology platforms: NEUGENE antisense drugs and cancer immunotherapy. Its lead cancer agent, AVICINE(R), a therapeutic cancer vaccine, has completed three Phase II trials in colorectal and pancreatic cancer pancreatic cancer Malignant tumour of the pancreas. Risk factors include smoking, a diet high in fat, exposure to certain industrial products, and diseases such as diabetes and chronic pancreatitis. Pancreatic cancer is more common in men. and is initiating a Phase III pivotal trial in pancreatic cancer, with a supporting study in colorectal cancer. The first application of its NEUGENE compounds, Resten-NG(TM), 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 Phase II trials for restenosis and in a Phase I/II trial for cancer. AVI has completed three Phase I NEUGENE antisense studies that successfully down-regulated the liver enzyme cytochrome P-450 and modified drug metabolism, and a Phase I/II trial in polycystic kidney disease Polycystic Kidney Disease Definition Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is one of the most common of all life-threatening human genetic disorders. . 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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