Biosource Technologies awarded human enzyme replacement therapy grant; company to produce glucocerebrosidase and alpha-galactosidase in GENEWARE plant production system.VACAVILLE, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--April 22, 1997--Biosource Technologies Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a $650,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases About NIDDK The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, conducts and supports research on many of the most serious diseases affecting public health. for further development of its proprietary GENEWARE technology for producing human therapeutic proteins in plants. The specific target of the grant is to develop a dramatically lower-cost method of producing pure human proteins for enzyme replacement therapy Enzyme replacement therapy is a medical treatment replacing an enzyme in patients in whom that particular enzyme is deficient or absent. Usually this is done by giving the patient an intravenous (IV) infusion containing the enzyme. of certain human lysosomal lysosomal pertaining to or emanating from lysosomes. lysosomal enzymes enzymes located in the lysosomes. lysosomal phospholipidosis storage disorders such as glucocerebrosidase for Gaucher disease Gaucher Disease Definition Gaucher disease is a rare genetic disorder that results in accumulation of fatty molecules called cerebrosides. It can have serious effects on numerous body organs including the liver, spleen, bones and central nervous system. and alpha-galactosidase for Fabry disease. More than 80,000 people worldwide are affected by these diseases. There are over 15,000 Gaucher disease patients in the U.S. alone. Currently, enzyme replacement therapy for Gaucher disease routinely costs over $200,000 per patient annually. Due in part to these high treatment costs, only 1,200 to 1,400 patients worldwide receive this therapy for Gaucher disease. Enzyme replacement therapy is not currently available for Fabry disease because of the high cost of producing the enzyme either by extraction from human placenta placenta (pləsĕn`tə) or afterbirth, organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy. It is a unique characteristic of the higher (or placental) mammals. In humans it is a thick mass, about 7 in. or by using traditional recombinant DNA recombinant DNA n. Genetically engineered DNA prepared by transplanting or splicing one or more segments of DNA into the chromosomes of an organism from a different species. Such DNA becomes part of the host's genetic makeup and is replicated. and cell culture technologies. "We are committed to the development of our GENEWARE technology to reduce the cost of some of the most expensive biotechnology-derived pharmaceutical products, thereby making them available to more people," said Dr. Laurence K. Grill, vice president of Research at Biosource Technologies. "We are excited about our collaboration with the National Institutes of Health and are very optimistic that this work will lead to some significant advances in pharmaceutical manufacturing." Biosource Technologies processed over 100 tons of plant biomass in 1996 to validate the economics and bioequivalence bioequivalence /bio·equiv·a·lence/ (-e-kwiv´ah-lens) the relationship between two preparations of the same drug in the same dosage form that have a similar bioavailability. of GENEWARE-derived proteins. Earlier this year Biosource Technologies announced plans to build a new GMP GMP (guanosine monophosphate): see guanine. facility in Kentucky for the purification of human pharmaceuticals extracted from tobacco plants. The expanded purification capacity will enable Biosource to supply all materials required to complete clinical trials of targeted products. Biosource Technologies is the first company in the world to use plants for the large-scale production of therapeutic proteins and peptides. Headquartered in Vacaville, and with production operations located in Owensboro, Ky., Biosource Technologies has concentrated on utilizing its patented GENEWARE process, through which new genes are introduced into normal, growing plants to generate high-yield, low-cost production of new peptides, proteins and vaccines. Pilot field production and animal tests are underway using GENEWARE-derived products to develop treatments for a variety of human diseases. CONTACT: Biosource Technologies Inc. Robert L. Erwin, 707/446-5501 |
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