Hybridon receives patent for orally administering second generation antisense oligonucleotides.Hybridon, Inc. (Cambridge, MA) announced the issuance of United States Patent 6,608,035 entitled, "Method Of Down-Regulating Gene Expression," claiming methods of orally administering second generation antisense antisense, DNA or RNA manipulated in a laboratory so that its components (nucleotides) form a complementary copy of normal, or "sense," messenger RNA (mRNA; see nucleic acid). oligonucleotides comprised of regions of phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotides and at least one 2'-O-alkoxyalkyl, including 2'-O-methoxyethyl-ribonucleotide, at each end. This patent further solidifies and expands Hybridon's proprietary position in advanced antisense chemistries for oral administration, which also includes claims covered by the parent patent, United States Patent 5,591,721. Oligonucleotides and methods claimed in these patents are currently under clinical evaluation clinical evaluation Medtalk An evaluation of whether a Pt has symptoms of a disease, is responding to treatment, or is having adverse reactions to therapy by Hybridon and its licensees Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., MethylGene, Inc., and Micrologix Biotech Inc., for disease indications including cancer, inflammatory diseases and viral diseases. In addition, Aegera Therapeutics Inc., recently identified a lead development candidate for the treatment of cancer, also under license from Hybridon. These patents are the result of the scientific collaboration between Hybridon scientists, led by President and Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Sudhir Agrawal, and investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham UAB began in 1936 as the Birmingham Extension Center of the University of Alabama. Because of the rapid growth of the Birmingham area, it was decided that an extension program for students who had difficulties which prevented them from studying in Tuscaloosa was needed. (Birmingham, AL). The UAB UAB Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona UAB University of Alabama at Birmingham UAB Union of Arab Banks UAB Uzdaroji Akcine Bendrove (Lithuanian: closed stock company UAB Unix AppleTalk Bridge UAB Unaccompanied Air Baggage UAB Until Advised By investigators are Dr. Robert Diasio, Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology, Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Associate Director, Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, and Dr. Ruiwen Zhang, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Director of the Cancer Pharmacology Laboratory at UAB. All three scientists are named inventors on both the '035 and '721 patents. Hybridon is a leader in the discovery and development of novel therapeutics and diagnostics, based on synthetic 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. . The Company now has four technology platforms: 1) Synthetic immunomodulatory oligonucleotide motifs that act to modulate responses of the immune system immune system Cells, cell products, organs, and structures of the body involved in the detection and destruction of foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Immunity is based on the system's ability to launch a defense against such invaders. ; 2) Antisense technology which uses synthetic DNA to block the production of disease-causing proteins at the cellular level; 3) Synthetic DNA drug candidates that enhance the antitumor an·ti·tu·mor also an·ti·tu·mor·al adj. Counteracting or preventing the formation of malignant tumors; anticancer. Adj. 1. activity of certain marketed anticancer drugs Anticancer Drugs Definition Anticancer, or antineoplastic, drugs are used to treat malignancies, or cancerous growths. Drug therapy may be used alone, or in combination with other treatments such as surgery or radiation therapy. , thereby increasing their effectiveness; and 4) Cyclicon probes, novel synthetic DNA structures for identifying gene function, which can be used for target validation and drug discovery as well as for PCR-based gene amplification. Hybridon, Inc. +1-617-679-5500 www.hybridon.com |
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