Sheffield Medical Technologies announces European patent for its RBC-CD4 technology.NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 1995--Sheffield Medical Technologies Inc. (AMEX AMEX See: American Stock Exchange :SHM) announced today that a European patent has issued covering technology relating to the electroinsertion of full-length CD4 into the red blood cell red blood cell: see blood. membrane for use as a therapeutic in the treatment 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. that leads to AIDS. Sheffield is the exclusive worldwide licensee of the technology. The European Patent, No. 0362758B 1, claims the unique process by which Sheffield inserts the full-length CD4 protein into red blood cells Red blood cells Cells that carry hemoglobin (the molecule that transports oxygen) and help remove wastes from tissues throughout the body. Mentioned in: Bone Marrow Transplantation red blood cells to produce RBC-CD4. The company also received a Canadian patent on the technology in 1994. In announcing the patent, Harvey L. Kellman Sheffield's president and chief executive officer said, "This patent is another important step in our program to bring RBC-CD4 to commercialization." The electroinsertion process involves exposing red blood cells to a pulsed electrical field, thereby enabling the CD4 to be incorporated into the red blood cell's membrane to form RBC-CD4 which acts as a sponge absorbing free-floating HIV and forming aggregates with HIV-infected cells. Research has indicated that once bound and internalized by RBC-CD4, the HIV disintegrates and is removed from the body as part of a natural process called phagocytosis phagocytosis: see endocytosis. Phagocytosis A mechanism by which single cells of the animal kingdom, such as smaller protozoa, engulf and carry particles into the cytoplasm. . The company is preparing to enter Phase I/II human clinical trials with its RBC-CD4 at the Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University, mainly at Baltimore, Md. Johns Hopkins in 1867 had a group of his associates incorporated as the trustees of a university and a hospital, endowing each with $3.5 million. Daniel C. Medical Center. Sheffield Medical Technologies Inc. is a pharmaceutical technology management company that bridges the gap between late-stage research and the commercialization of resulting products and technologies. CONTACT: Sheffield Medical Technologies Inc. Douglas R. Eger or Harvey L. Kellman, 212/957-6600 or KCSA Leslie A. Schupak/Joseph A. Mansi 212/682-6300 ext. 207/205 |
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