Agennix Receives Indian Patent On Production of Recombinant Lactoferrin.

HOUSTON--(BW HealthWire)--Mar. 1, 1999--Agennix Inc. today announced that it has been granted a patent for the production of recombinant lactoferrin from the Government of India, The Patent Office (No. 177650).

The patent specifically covers production of recombinant human lactoferrin and lactoferrin polypeptides including fermentation of polypeptides in various organisms. Lactoferrin is a natural antimicrobial protein. Agennix is in early phase clinical development for lactoferrin-based products for a variety of inflammatory indications, according to Denis Headon, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer.

Agennix's patent estate now includes U.S. patents covering cDNA sequences encoding human lactoferrin, methods for producing recombinant human lactoferrin from a variety of host cell systems, and the production of lactoferrin polypeptides, in addition to numerous patents covering applications of lactoferrin.

Lactoferrin is a multi-functional protein that participates in the regulation of the immune response. The antimicrobial microbid activity is due to the high affinity lactoferrin has for iron, making this essential nutrient unavailable to support bacterial growth. The protein also functions as a direct bactericide by disrupting the cell walls of a broad range of bacteria. Most significantly, Agennix has demonstrated in inflammatory models that lactoferrin directly regulates the production of TNF-alpha.

Agennix Inc. is a Houston based biotechnology company engaged in the research and development of a new class of natural anti-inflammatory/anti-infective agents. The company's core underlying technology is built on human lactoferrin, an anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory protein with applications in the treatment of inflammatory and infectious diseases.