STUDIES SUPPORT LIPID SCIENCES VIRAL IMMUNOTHERAPY PLATFORM.Lipid Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:LIPD), Pleasanton, Calif., has announced that the latest results of both in vivo in vivo /in vi·vo/ (ve´vo) [L.] within the living body. in vi·vo adj. Within a living organism. in vivo adv. and in vitro in vitro /in vi·tro/ (in ve´tro) [L.] within a glass; observable in a test tube; in an artificial environment. in vi·tro adj. In an artificial environment outside a living organism. studies supporting the company's Viral Immunotherapy Platform have been presented at the Keystone Symposium, HIV Vaccines: Current Challenges and Future Prospects. The Keystone Symposium is a non-profit organization directed and supported by the scientific community. This HIV Vaccine Development meeting has gained a reputation as an important forum for presenting new data in the area of HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. research and is attended by recognized experts in the field worldwide. This meeting was held in Banff, Alberta, Canada. On April 11, 2005 a poster and presentation entitled "Delipidated Retroviruses as Potential Autologous autologous /au·tol·o·gous/ (aw-tol´ah-gus) related to self; belonging to the same organism. au·tol·o·gous adj. 1. Therapeutic Vaccines - A Pilot Experiment" was given by Moiz Kitabwalla, Ph.D., manager of Viral Programs at Lipid Sciences. This study was designed to demonstrate whether or not there was a measurable 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. response to delipidated Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) is a retrovirus that is found, in numerous strains, in primates; the specific strains infecting humans are HIV-1 and HIV-2, the viruses that cause AIDS. The origin of HIV is now generally attributed to SIV from African primates. ("SIV SIV simian immunodeficiency virus. ") in SIV-infected monkeys, a widely-accepted primate model for viral diseases like HIV. This preliminary study was able to demonstrate that the SIV viral antigen viral antigen n. Abbr. VA An antigen with multiple antigenicities that is protein in nature, strain-specific, and closely associated with the virus particle. delipidated by Lipid Sciences' proprietary delipidation process was efficiently recognized by the animals' immune system and has resulted in a measurable improvement in the conventional indicators of overall health in these study animals. These results included a viral load viral load n. The concentration of a virus, such as HIV, in the blood. viral load, n a measure of the number of virus particles present in the bloodstream, expressed as copies per milliliter. reduction by 90+%, weight gain, and extended post infection survival. The ability to use small amounts of a patient's autologous circulating viral antigen to generate a virus-specific immune response could potentially lead to the control of viral replication and provide a unique approach to the development of an effective treatment for chronic HIV infection. This study was conducted under the direction of Aftab A. Ansari, Ph.D., professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University. Dr. Ansari is a member of Lipid Sciences' Viral Advisory Board. S. Lewis Meyer, Ph.D. president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Lipid Sciences commented, "With these very positive results as a backdrop, by mid-2005 we plan to launch a pre-clinical safety and effectiveness study in a statistically significant group of SIV infected non-human primates. The intent of this study will be to gather sufficient information to begin our dialogue with the Food and Drug Administration about a human clinical trial for the treatment of HIV-infected patients--clearly a major milestone for Lipid Sciences." Also on display at the Symposium was our poster entitled, "Solvent-treated Retroviruses as Novel Vaccines - A Study in Characterizing Delipidated Retroviruses." These in vitro experiments demonstrated that our proprietary delipidation process removed the majority of all lipids from the virus. This lipid removal was confirmed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The delipidated viruses appear to represent a promising approach to the development of a therapy to treat HIV infected patients. This study was conducted under the direction of Dr. James E.K. Hildreth, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, and of Pathology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, is a highly regarded medical school and biomedical research institute in the United States. . Dr. Hildreth is a member of Lipid Sciences' Viral Advisory Board. Lipid Sciences, Inc. is a development-stage biotechnology company engaged in the research and development of products and processes to treat major medical indications in which lipids, or fat components, play a key role. The company's technologies are based on a unique patented process, known as delipidation, which removes lipids from targeted proteins. The company's HDL (Hardware Description Language) A language used to describe the functions of an electronic circuit for documentation, simulation or logic synthesis (or all three). Although many proprietary HDLs have been developed, Verilog and VHDL are the major standards. Therapy Platform is aimed at developing treatments for the reversal of atherosclerosis, a systemic disease of the blood vessels caused by the build-up of cholesterol-filled plaques in the vascular system and, most critically, in the coronary arteries. If left untreated, these plaques are highly vulnerable to rupture and to blood clot formation, which can result in a fatal myocardial infarction (heart attack). Regression of such plaques may have a major impact on reducing the risk of acute coronary events. The company's Viral Immunotherapy Platform is focused on the removal of the lipid envelope from certain viruses and other lipid-containing infectious agents by application of its delipidation technology. The company believes that removing the infectious agent's protective lipid envelope exposes otherwise hidden viral proteins, thereby stimulating the body's immune system to elicit an enhanced response to the infectious agent. Conditions that could potentially be impacted by this technology include HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, West Nile, SARS, and influenza. For more information, visit http://www.lipidsciences.com or call 212/253-8881. |
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