RegeneRx Forms Medical & Scientific Advisory Board.Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers BIOWIRE2K BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 27, 2003 RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB OTCBB See OTC Bulletin Board (OTCBB). :RGRX) announced today that it has formalized a Medical and Scientific Advisory Board (MSAB MSAB Minnesota State Arts Board MSAB Municipal Services Appeals Board MSAB Multi-National Security Accreditation Board ) consisting of experts in several medical and scientific fields. The purpose of the MSAB is to identify and evaluate clinical areas that may benefit from the company's platform technology based upon Thymosin Thymosin A polypeptide hormone synthesized and secreted by the endodermally derived reticular cells of the thymus gland. Thymosin exerts its actions in several loci: (1) in the thymus gland, either on precursor stem cells derived from fetal liver or from bone beta 4 (TB4). TB4 is a naturally occurring molecule currently being developed with the prospect of treating a broad spectrum of chronic wounds and ulcers. The first human clinical trials were recently initiated, focused specifically on the treatment of chronic dermal dermal /der·mal/ (der´mal) pertaining to the dermis or to the skin. der·mal or der·mic adj. Of or relating to the skin or dermis. wounds. "I am very pleased to be working with such a distinguished group of experts," said Dr. Allan Goldstein, the Founder of RegeneRx and the Chairman of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology molecular biology, scientific study of the molecular basis of life processes, including cellular respiration, excretion, and reproduction. The term molecular biology was coined in 1938 by Warren Weaver, then director of the natural sciences program at the Rockefeller at the George Washington University George Washington University, at Washington, D.C.; coeducational; chartered 1821 as Columbian College (one of the first nonsectarian colleges), opened 1822, became a university in 1873, renamed 1904. Medical School in Washington, DC, "Their experience and insight will be invaluable in the development of TB4 by identifying new areas in which the drug may be clinically useful. I look forward to their evaluation and input as we explore the promise of this molecule beyond the treatment of chronic dermal wounds." Members of the Company's Medical & Scientific Advisory Board include: -- Allan Goldstein, PhD - Professor and Chairman of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the George Washington University Medical School, Board of Trustees, Sabin Vaccine Institute, and author of over 430 scientific publications. Dr. Goldstein is an expert in the field of immunology and protein chemistry and the discoverer of TB4. Dr. Goldstein will chair the Company's MSAB. -- Herve Byron, MD, MSc - An ophthalmologist with vast experience in private practice as well as in the academic setting, having served as Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at New York University School of Medicine and a member of the editorial board of several medical journals and publications specializing in ophthalmology. -- Barrett Katz, MD, MBA - Professor and Chairman of Ophthalmology at the George Washington University Medical School. Dr. Katz is an expert in ocular diseases with special interest in neuro-ophthalmology and vascular diseases of the optic nerve, and an advisor to several pharmaceutical companies specializing in products for diseases of the eye. -- Stephen Kovacs, MD, MBA - Vice President of Research for Essex Investment Management, Boston, MA, and a surgical dermatologist. In addition to his experience as an Assistant Professor and dermatological surgeon specializing in laser surgery, Dr. Kovacs has broad expertise in the analysis of private and public companies in the pharmacology and biotechnology sectors. -- Albert Rosenfeld - Former science editor of Life magazine and Saturday Review and a distinguished science writer, having received many writing awards, including the Lasker Award, with a special citation for "leadership in medical journalism." Mr. Rosenfeld presently is a Consultant on Future Programs for the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation and a long-time member of the Company's Board of Directors. TB4 is a naturally occurring 43-amino acid peptide present in virtually all human cells. Its gene is up-regulated following tissue injury and during the remodeling remodeling /re·mod·el·ing/ (re-mod´el-ing) reorganization or renovation of an old structure. bone remodeling and differentiation of cells. TB4 represents a new class of wound healing drug and is different from other wound repair factors, such as growth factors, in that it promotes endothelial endothelial /en·do·the·li·al/ (-the´le-al) pertaining to or made up of endothelium. Endothelial A layer of cells that lines the inside of certain body cavities, for example, blood vessels. and keratinocyte keratinocyte /ke·rat·i·no·cyte/ (ker-at´in-o-sit) the epidermal cell that synthesizes keratin, known in its successive stages in the layers of the skin as basal cell, prickle cell, and granular cell. cell migration, down regulates a number of inflammatory cytokines Cytokines Chemicals made by the cells that act on other cells to stimulate or inhibit their function. Cytokines that stimulate growth are called "growth factors. and chemokines, and has a very low molecular weight, allowing it to diffuse relatively long distances through tissues. One of its key mechanisms of action is TB4's ability to regulate the cell-building protein, actin, a vital component of the cytoskeleton cytoskeleton System of microscopic filaments or fibres, present in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells (see eukaryote), that organizes other cell components, maintains cell shape, and is responsible for cell locomotion and for movement of the organelles within it. . It has been the subject of a significant amount of research at the NIH "Not invented here." See digispeak. NIH - The United States National Institutes of Health. and a number of other academic institutions, and has been reported to be effective in the repair of dermal and corneal corneal pertaining to the cornea. See also keratitis, keratopathy. corneal anomaly includes microcornea, coloboma, megalocornea, dermoid, congenital opacity. corneal black body see corneal sequestrum (below). wounds in numerous animal models under a variety of conditions. Further, it has been delivered both topically and systemically with both routes of administration showing similar activity for dermal wounds. RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. is developing TB4 as a platform technology for the treatment of acute and chronic wounds and for the treatment of a variety of human diseases involving tissue and organ repair under an exclusive world-wide license from the NIH. The Company holds several patents related to the technology and has numerous world-wide patent applications pending. The information in this press release may include certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995. These statements concern the Company's current expectations regarding future events, including the ongoing and prospective development and commercialization of T$4 and possible future benefits to the Company, its shareholders and patients. Due to the nature of product development and the regulatory approval process, the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those reflected in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly its most recent annual Report on Form 10-KSB. The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein or any other forward-looking statements made by the Company. |
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