Kosan Receives SBIR Grant for Discovery of Improved Anticancer Geldanamycin Analogs.Business Editors/Medical Writers HAYWARD, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--April 19, 2002 Kosan Biosciences Incorporated (Nasdaq:KOSN) announced today that it has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR SBIR Small Business Innovation Research (program/grant) SBIR Space Based Infra-Red SBIR Speaker-Boundary Interference SBIR Site Backsurface-referenced Ideal Plane/Range (silicon wafers) ) grant from the National Institutes of Health. The grant was awarded to support Kosan's program to generate improved geldanamycin analogs for the treatment of cancer. Geldanamycin is a polyketide with anti-tumor activity in a variety of animal models. A derivative of geldanamycin, allylamino-geldanamycin (AAG AAG Association of American Geographers (Washington, DC) AAG Assistant Attorney General AAG Asociación Argentina de Golf AAG Anti-Aircraft Gun AAG Assistant Adjutant General AAG Australian Association of Gerontology ), is currently undergoing Phase I 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 the National Cancer Institute. The $100,000 award is aimed at the generation of improved analogs with increased solubility and potency, using Kosan's technology for the manipulation of polyketides. C. Richard Hutchinson, Ph.D., Kosan's Vice President of New Technology is the principal investigator Noun 1. principal investigator - the scientist in charge of an experiment or research project PI scientist - a person with advanced knowledge of one or more sciences for the grant. Dr. Hutchinson said, "Geldanamycin targets the molecular chaperone chaperone /chap·er·one/ (shap´er-on) someone or something that accompanies and oversees another. molecular chaperone , Hsp90, and triggers the destruction of a set of proteins referred to as 'client' proteins. These client proteins represent a Who's Who list of the important kinase targets in oncology as well as steroid hormone receptors. In effect, geldanamycins serve as a modulator Modulator Any device or circuit by means of which a desired signal is impressed upon a higher-frequency periodic wave known as a carrier. The process is called modulation. The modulator may vary the amplitude, frequency, or phase of the carrier. of the function of these important targets." Kosan Biosciences Incorporated is a biotechnology company that has proprietary gene-engineering technologies for the manipulation and production of polyketides, a rich source of pharmaceuticals. Kosan uses its platform technologies to develop product candidates that target large pharmaceutical markets. This press release contains "forward-looking" statements, including statements related to the generation of improved geldanamycin analogs. Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the results of Kosan to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K Form 10-K A report required by the SEC from exchange-listed companies that provides for annual disclosure of certain financial information. Form 10-K See 10-K. for the year ended December 31, 2001. Kosan does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements. |
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