Rinat Neuroscience Begins Clinical Testing of Potential First-in-Class Pain Therapeutic.

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Novel Humanized Monoclonal Antibody Blocks Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), a Key Mediator of Pain

Rinat Neuroscience, a privately held biotechnology company, today announced the initiation of Phase 1 human safety testing of the company's lead investigational therapeutic, RI 624. The company discovered and is developing RI 624, a humanized monoclonal antibody that inhibits nerve growth factor (NGF), for the treatment of both acute and chronic pain.

"RI 624 works through a novel mechanism of action that is distinct from that of all currently approved drugs for the treatment of pain -- the inhibition of NGF," said Franz Hefti, executive vice president of development at Rinat. "In preclinical models of pain, RI 624 has demonstrated equal or better efficacy than opiates or NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) with none of the many adverse effects associated with those drugs. In these animal studies RI 624 also demonstrated a significantly longer half-life, on the order of two to three weeks."

Role of NGF in Pain

Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a member of a family of proteins known as neurotrophins. In early stages of development, NGF plays a role in the growth of certain sensory neurons, an activity that appears to end at birth or shortly afterward. The rationale for treating pain by inhibiting NGF comes from several observations. Pain-causing injury or inflammation induces the synthesis and stimulates the release of NGF. Up-regulation of NGF appears to be a common component of the inflammatory response that initiates and sustains the pain sensation. Researchers have observed that NGF has profound direct and indirect stimulatory effects on the primary sensory neurons that mediate pain. Injections of NGF into animals or humans produce long lasting, dose-dependent pain that is very intense at high doses; conversely, blocking NGF greatly alleviates pain in animal models of acute and chronic pain. These observations from human and animal studies support the view that NGF is a key mediator of the pain response.

About Rinat Neuroscience Corporation

Rinat Neuroscience Corporation, based in Palo Alto, California, was founded in 2001 when Genentech, Inc. (NYSE:DNA), a leader in the development of therapeutic proteins, spun out its key neuroscience assets under a broad license to Rinat. Genentech invested significant resources in support of these assets over 15 years, and Rinat is now building on them as the pioneer in developing and commercializing protein-based therapeutics for the treatment of diseases and disorders of the nervous system. For more information on Rinat, please visit www.rinatneuro.com or contact David Pritchard at 650-213-5303.