Collateral announces issuance of United States patent for angiogenic gene therapy for the treatment of heart disease.

Collateral Therapeutics, Inc. (San Diego, CA; 858-794-3420) announced the issuance of United States Patent 6,100,242, entitled "Gene Therapies for Enhancing Cardiac Function," broadly directed to the administration of angiogenic genes for the treatment of heart disease. The technology covered by this patent was exclusively licensed by the company from the University of California.

"The issuance of this patent serves to solidify Collateral Therapeutics' proprietary position in angiogenic gene therapy for the non-surgical treatment of cardiovascular disease," observed Jack W. Reich, PhD, the company's chief executive officer. Dr. Reich further noted that, "This patent, which includes more than 100 issued claims, covers the use of any angiogenic gene delivered using our proprietary methods, including both natural and designed genes capable of promoting or enhancing angiogenesis, and serves to further broaden our intellectual property position in the important new therapeutic field of cardiovascular gene therapy."

"This patent sends a strong message to potential competitors and others from the pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology industries about Collateral's leadership position and competitive strength in the commercial development of non-surgical gene therapy products for the treatment of cardiovascular disease," noted Christopher J. Reinhard, president and chief operating officer. "We believe our non-surgical gene therapy product candidates under development hold the potential to revolutionize the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and become a new standard of care by offering patients simpler, more cost-effective and lower-risk alternatives to currently available treatments, such as coronary artery bypass surgery and angioplasty."

Collateral has assembled a broad portfolio of therapeutic genes for use in the development of angiogenic gene therapy products. The corresponding patent portfolio, which includes both issued patents and pending patent applications, consists of genes which were discovered or exclusively licensed by Collateral for use in the development of cardiovascular gene therapy products. The company's portfolio includes numerous human genes in the Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) families. In addition, pursuant to pending patent applications for a variety of natural and designed angiogenic genes, Collateral is expanding its proprietary position with respect to genes coding for proteins with the potential to promote or enhance angiogenesis.

Collateral is also developing a new class of angiogenic genes which bring together members of the FGF and VEGF gene families into dual recombinants with the potential to combine the therapeutic activities of both FGF and VEGF proteins. Based on this technology, the company has a number of other dual recombinant constructs for potential use in the commercial development of angiogenic gene-based products. A dual recombinant which combined an FGF-4 gene and a VEGF-145 gene has been shown to be associated with a favorable treatment effect in an animal model of coronary artery disease.

Collateral, is a leader in the discovery and development of innovative non-surgical gene therapy products for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. In March 2000, the company reported positive results from a double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1/2 clinical trial of its lead product, GENERX, a non-surgical angiogenic gene therapy, and plans to begin larger scale clinical studies. Collateral Therapeutics is developing non-surgical cardiovascular gene therapy products focused on: (1) angiogenesis, as a treatment approach for coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease and congestive heart failure; (2) myocardial adrenergic signaling, as a treatment for congestive heart failure; and (3) heart muscle regeneration, to improve cardiac function for patients who have suffered a heart attack.