FERX AND JAPAN'S NCCRI COLLABORATE ON GENE THERAPY.

FeRx Inc., San Diego, and the National Cancer Center Research Institute (NCCRI) of Japan have established a research collaboration designed to develop a novel tumor-targeting gene transfer approach utilizing FeRx's proprietary Magnetic Targeted Carrier (MTC) drug delivery technology.

The research collaboration will be directed by Dr. Takahiro Ochiya, Head of the Section for Studies on Metastasis, NCCRI. A variety of genetic vectors, including plasmid DNA, adenoviruses, and antisense oligonucleotides, will be studied and combined with the FeRx MTC technology. In vivo studies will be performed using an animal model developed by NCCRI to determine the benefit of these MTC-genetic vectors. The study is designed to control the release of the genetic material and promote in vivo expression using the MTCs coupled with a novel technology developed by Dr. Ochiya utilizing a collagen biomaterial (Atelocollagen).

"An important goal of the collaboration will be improvement of the site specific delivery of genetic vectors to the disease site, one of the continuing development challenges facing gene therapy," commented Dr. Ochiya. "Since the FeRx MTC drug delivery technology is specifically designed for the targeted delivery of small molecules and biologics, the study represents an important opportunity to examine the utility of the technology in resolving this critical challenge."

"FeRx is committed to expanding the applications of its MTC drug delivery platform and we believe that gene therapy marks an exciting opportunity for expansion of our product pipeline in oncology," said Jacqueline Johnson, Ph.D., FeRx's president and chief executive officer. "Dr. Ochiya is a leader in the field of gene therapy in Japan and we are pleased that he and his colleagues at the NCCRI have agreed to join us in this effort."

The National Cancer Center (NCC) was established in 1962 in Tsukiji, Tokyo, by the Ministry of Health and Welfare as the sole national government-supported cancer center in Japan, and it consists of a Research Institute (NCCRI), Hospital, and Administration Department. Since its establishment, the NCCRI has been Japan's leading cancer research institution and one of the leading cancer research institutes worldwide. The institute has had two basic and unifying purposes ever since its establishment: to achieve cancer control by means of close collaboration with hospitals and the government, and to serve as the core institute promoting cancer research in Japan.

For more information, visit http://www.ncc.go.jp.

FeRx Inc. is a privately held, product-oriented, targeted drug delivery company dedicated to the development and commercialization of its proprietary MTC technology to improve patient care, reduce toxicity and increase efficacy of known drugs for the treatment of cancer. MTCs are microparticles composed of metallic iron and activated carbon that serve as delivery vehicles for the site specific targeting, retention, and release of a variety of pharmaceutical agents, including small molecules, biologics and genetic vectors.

The MTC technology uses a small, externally positioned magnet to create a localized magnetic field within the body. MTCs enable pharmaceutical agents to be magnetically targeted to specific sites in the body. The physical force created by the magnetic field draws the MTC-drug compound into the targeted disease area. This process results in localization and retention of the delivered pharmaceutical agents at the desired site following removal of the magnetic field.

Current clinical studies of MTCs being conducted by FeRx are designed to demonstrate the intra-arterial delivery of magnetically targeted pharmaceuticals to specific areas of the body while reducing systemic toxicity and increasing the efficacious concentration of drug at the target site. These trials are focused on the delivery of FeRx's lead product, MTC-DOX (doxorubicin), to primary liver tumors (hepatocellular carcinoma -- HCC) and to tumors that have metastasized to the liver.

For more information, visit http://www.FeRx.com or call 858/677-7788.