Copernicus Receives Issued U.S. Patent For Automated Device That Produces Non-Viral Gene Therapy Vectors.Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers CLEVELAND--(BW HealthWire)--Aug. 28, 2001 Copernicus Therapeutics, Inc. announced that the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. Patent Office has issued Automated Nucleic Acid nucleic acid, any of a group of organic substances found in the chromosomes of living cells and viruses that play a central role in the storage and replication of hereditary information and in the expression of this information through protein synthesis. Compaction Device, US Patent Number 6,281,005. Mark J. Cooper, M.D., Senior Vice President of Science and Medical Affairs said, "This patent provides very broad coverage for scale-up manufacture of compacted nucleic acids Nucleic acids The cellular molecules DNA and RNA that act as coded instructions for the production of proteins and are copied for transmission of inherited traits. for gene therapy. Our non-viral formulation consists of single molecules of nucleic acid that are condensed con·dense v. con·densed, con·dens·ing, con·dens·es v.tr. 1. To reduce the volume or compass of. 2. To make more concise; abridge or shorten. 3. Physics a. to their minimal possible size using polycationic carriers. These compacted nucleic acid complexes have a diameter of approximately 18-25 nm as visualized in electron micrographs, and are especially effective in transfecting post-mitotic, differentiated cells. The automated compaction device permits a several log production scale up in manufacturing these complexes, and yields a very homogeneous population of condensed nanoparticles. We are currently preparing compacted DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. for a planned phase I trial in patients with cystic fibrosis cystic fibrosis (sĭs`tĭk fībrō`sĭs), inherited disorder of the exocrine glands (see gland), affecting children and young people; median survival is 25 years in females and 30 years in males. in early 2002." "Copernicus has established a very broad and enabling position in the field of gene therapy," said Robert C. Moen, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Copernicus. "Our intellectual property positions us uniquely in this field. Given the dangers inherent with viral vectors, our technology enables us to access the favorable aspects of viral vectors while providing the safety and pharmaceutical qualities inherent in non-viral gene delivery systems. This patent covers our scale-up and manufacture of compacted DNA, and effectively extends our patent protection for production of gene therapy clinical trial reagents. We expect to broadly partner this gene transfer platform with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies wishing to exploit the advantages of our proprietary technology." Copernicus Therapeutics, Inc. is advancing novel targeting and delivery systems with broad applications in human therapeutics and vaccines. Copernicus' technologies include a multi-component delivery platform that can be applied to nucleic acids to develop therapies for a variety of human diseases and a targeting platform enabling the efficient uptake of drugs by specific cells and tissues. The Company's targeting and delivery platforms are complementary and can be combined to enhance the efficacy and safety of existing drugs or to create novel therapeutics. |
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