3rd Jun 2005 07:00
Oxford Biomedica PLC03 June 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3 JUNE 2005 OXFORD BIOMEDICA PRESENTS ENCOURAGING INNUREX(R) PRECLINICAL EFFICACY DATA IN SPINAL CORD INJURY - Presentation at the 8th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene Therapy, 1-5 June 2005, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA - Oxford, UK: 3 June 2005 - Oxford BioMedica (LSE: OXB), the leading gene therapycompany, is today presenting encouraging Innurex preclinical efficacy data atthe Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene Therapy (ASGT) in St. Louis,Missouri, USA. The data show, for the first time, that Innurex, OxfordBioMedica's gene-based product for nerve regeneration, is able to induce nerverepair in spinal cord (corticospinal tract) injuries and restore both sensoryand motor functions in a placebo controlled preclinical model. Very few productshave been able to show nerve repair in models of spinal cord injury and noproducts to date have achieved this in the clinical setting. In this preclinical study of spinal cord injury, Innurex stimulated cellularrepair in the form of nerve regrowth across the injury. Functional repair wasassessed by measuring time taken or movement during certain tasks, such asladder crossing and grid walking. Following Innurex treatment, there was astatistically significant improvement in functional ability compared to placeboon most measures. These new data add to previous observations in preclinicalmodels of avulsion (stretch) injury and suggest that Innurex may be useful inthe clinical treatment of both stretch injury and the technically morechallenging spinal cord damage. Commenting on the Innurex data, Oxford BioMedica's CEO, Professor Alan Kingsman,said: "These new results substantially strengthen the preclinical data set forInnurex. We are now working towards an assessment of how to move Innurex intoinitial Phase I/II clinical trials so that this innovative product can beevaluated for the treatment of patients with these devastating injuries asquickly as possible." Innurex delivers the RAR2 gene to damaged nerve cells using the Company'sproprietary LentiVector(R) gene delivery technology. The gene causes nerve cellsto 'sprout' new nerve fibres that have the potential to remake connections thatmay restore both sensation and movement to afflicted limbs. The preclinical evaluation of Innurex and today's ASGT presentation are part ofan ongoing collaboration with scientists at King's College London, who receiveda grant from the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation to pursue the study ofInnurex in spinal cord injury. Details of the ASGT presentation are as follows: "Lentiviral vector expressing retinoic acid receptor 2 promotes regeneration ina rat spinal cord injury model" (Abstract #648) Session title: Neurologic - Spinal Cord Injury and Motor Neuron Disease Friday, 3 June, 4:00pm to 7:30pm, Exhibit Hall 2, America's Center, St. Louis,Missouri -Ends- For further information, please contact:Oxford BioMedica plc: Tel: +44 (0)1865 783 000Professor Alan Kingsman, Chief Executive City/Financial Enquiries: Tel: +44 (0)20 7466 5000Lisa Baderoon/ Mark Court/ Mary-Jane Johnson Buchanan Communications Scientific/Trade Press Enquiries: Tel: +44 (0)20 7886 8150Sue Charles/ Katja Stout/ Ashley LillyNorthbank Communications Notes to editors: 1. Oxford BioMedicaOxford BioMedica (LSE: OXB) is a biopharmaceutical company specialising in thedevelopment of novel gene-based therapeutics with a focus on the areas ofoncology and neurotherapy. The Company was established in 1995 as a spin outfrom Oxford University, and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Oxford BioMedica has core expertise in gene delivery, as well as in-houseclinical, regulatory and manufacturing know-how. In oncology, the pipelineincludes an immunotherapy and a gene therapy in multiple Phase II trials, and apreclinical targeted antibody therapy in collaboration with Wyeth. Inneurotherapy, the Company's lead product is a gene therapy for Parkinson'sdisease, which is expected to enter clinical trials in early 2006, and fourfurther preclinical candidates. The Company is underpinned by over 80 patentfamilies, which represent one of the broadest patent estates in the field. The Company has a staff of approximately 65 split between its main facilities inOxford and its wholly owned subsidiary, BioMedica Inc, in San Diego, California.Oxford BioMedica has corporate collaborations with Wyeth, Intervet, Amersham,Viragen, MolMed and Kiadis; and has licensed technology to a number of companiesincluding Merck & Co and Biogen Idec. Further information is available at www.oxfordbiomedica.co.uk. 2. Innurex(R) and Nerve RepairInnurex is Oxford BioMedica's gene-based product for nerve regeneration for thetreatment of spinal cord and related injuries. Based on the LentiVectortechnology, the product carries the gene for a subtype of the retinoic acidreceptor (RAR2) that induces nerve cells to regrow by a process known as'sprouting'. Within the field of neurobiology nerve repair has been a long sought goal forthe treatment of nerve damage and spinal injury. The objective is to developtreatments that induce nerve cells to regrow and bridge sites of injury, therebyreconnecting the nerve fibres and restoring function. Spinal cord and nerveinjuries affect approximately 20,000 people per year in Europe and the UnitedStates. There are no effective products to treat these debilitating conditionsand prognosis for functional recovery is generally poor. Innurex seeks toaddress this unmet medical need that could represent a market of up to US$2billion. During 2004, Oxford BioMedica reported that Innurex restores function to damagedlimbs in a preclinical model of avulsion or stretch injury. These resultsindicate that Innurex may benefit patients with nerve damage resulting fromsevere pull or stretch injury, a common consequence of sporting and motoraccidents. Today's presentation at ASGT shows that Innurex may repair nervedamage in spinal cord injuries. Further preclinical studies and clinicalplanning are underway. The company's collaborator on Innurex, King's College London, was awarded agrant of US$150,000 for the programme in April 2004 from the Christopher ReeveParalysis Foundation. This grant supports studies to explore the use of Innurexin spinal cord injury. 3. ASGTThe American Society of Gene Therapy (ASGT) is a professional non-profit medicaland scientific organisation dedicated to the understanding, development andapplication of gene and related cell and nucleic acid therapies and thepromotion of professional and public education in the field. ASGT is the largestmedical professional organisation representing researchers and scientistsdedicated to discovering new gene therapies. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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