Boston Life Sciences Initiates Development of Its Anti-Angiogenic Product for Ophthalmic Indications.BOSTON--(BW HealthWire)--July 16, 1997--Boston Life Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on : BLSI BLSI Boston Life Sciences, Inc. ) announced today that its anti-angiogenic product Troponin I troponin I n. A subunit of troponin found in muscle and cartilage that inhibits the formation of blood vessels and is under investigation as a potential cancer therapy. , apparently caused regression of blood vessels in a rat model of corneal neovascularization, and that the company has therefore initiated its full-scale preclinical development program for ophthalmic indications. In this model, the corneas of rats were damaged in order to simulate a clinical ulcer or injury, and the animals were then treated with topical eye drops containing Troponin I. After four weeks, the treated animals had substantially less vascularization vascularization /vas·cu·lar·iza·tion/ (vas?ku-ler-i-za´shun) 1. the process of becoming vascular. 2. angiogenesis. 3. the surgically induced development of vessels in a tissue. of their corneas as compared to control animals. "This is a relatively severe physiologic model of corneal corneal pertaining to the cornea. See also keratitis, keratopathy. corneal anomaly includes microcornea, coloboma, megalocornea, dermoid, congenital opacity. corneal black body see corneal sequestrum (below). damage. The fact that Troponin troponin /tro·po·nin/ (tro´po-nin) a complex of muscle proteins which, when combined with Ca2+, influence tropomyosin to initiate contraction. tro·po·nin n. eye drops seemed to produce regression of new blood vessels in this model is quite encouraging, and allows us to expand our preclinical development program to include potential ophthalmic indications for this product. We will now look at additional animal models of corneal and retinal neovascularization to work on clarifying dosing and formulation issues," stated Marc Lanser, MD, chief scientific officer of BLSI. "We believe that the potential market for an effective anti-angiogenic compound to treat corneal and diabetic retinal diseases is substantial, and we are therefore very excited about the prospect of developing Troponin for these indications in addition to cancer," added Dr. Lanser. BLSI is engaged in the research and development of novel treatments for cancer, autoimmune diseases, and central nervous system disorders Nervous system disorders A satisfactory classification of diseases of the nervous system should include not only the type of reaction (congenital malformation, infection, trauma, neoplasm, vascular diseases, and degenerative, metabolic, toxic, or deficiency . BLSI's products in clinical trials or in pre-clinical development include Altropane for the diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease; the above-mentioned anti-angiogenesis factor for the treatment of solid tumors; Axogenesis Factor 1 (AF-1) for the treatment of stroke and spinal cord injuries; THERAFECTIN(R) for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis; and transcription factors to control the expression of molecules associated with autoimmune disease and allergies. CONTACT: Boston Life Sciences Inc., Boston Marc E. Lanser, MD, 617/425-0200 or Martin E. Janis & Co. Inc., Chicago Bev Jedynak, 312/943-1100 |
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