14th Jun 2006 07:00
Oxford Biomedica PLC14 June 2006 For Immediate Release 14 JUNE 2006 Oxford BioMedica enquiries to:Oxford BioMedica plc: Tel: +44 (0)1865 783 000 Professor Alan Kingsman, Chief ExecutiveCity/Financial Enquiries: Tel: +44 (0)20 7466 5000 Lisa Baderoon/ Mark Court/ Mary-Jane Johnson BuchananCommunicationsScientific/Trade Press Enquiries: Tel: +44 (0)20 7886 8150 Katja Stout/ Susan YuNorthbank Communications OXFORD BIOMEDICA AND PARTNER SIGMA-ALDRICH PURSUE PROTECTION OF RNAi-RELATED IP AGAINST OPEN BIOSYSTEMS Oxford, UK - 14 June 2006: Oxford BioMedica (LSE: OXB), a leading gene therapycompany, announces that its partner, Sigma-Aldrich issued the followingannouncement yesterday at 16:00 EST (BST:21:00). SIGMA-ALDRICH AND OXFORD BIOMEDICA PURSUE PROTECTION OF RNAi-RELATED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY; FILE SUIT AGAINST OPEN BIOSYSTEMS ST. LOUIS, MO - Sigma-Aldrich (NASDAQ: SIAL), a $1.7 billion Life Sciencecompany, and Oxford BioMedica (LSE: OXB), a leading gene therapy company, haveannounced today that they have filed a lawsuit against Open Biosystems, Inc. forinfringement of key patents that cover key lentiviral-based systems for deliveryof foreign DNA to a broad array of mammalian cells. The complaint, which wasfiled in U.S. District Court Eastern District of Missouri, alleges that OpenBiosystems is infringing U.S. Patent Nos. 6924123 and 7056699. Rights to thepatents, both entitled Lentiviral LTR Deleted Vector, were exclusively licensedfor research use to Sigma-Aldrich by Oxford BioMedica in October 2005. The suit states that, among other products, Open Biosystems' Lentiviral shRNAmirLibrary is marketed and sold to researchers and research institutions forincorporation into viral particles that infringe one or more claims of thepatents. Sigma-Aldrich has invested in its RNAi program through significant intellectualproperty and licensing activities. The lawsuit filed against Open Biosystems isa result of Sigma-Aldrich's desire to actively protect its intellectual propertyin this field. Oxford BioMedica's LentiVector(R) system has broad applications in gene deliveryand can be used to deliver shRNA-encoding DNA to cells to enable RNAInterference (RNAi) experiments. RNAi is a natural cellular process that isinvolved in the regulation of gene expression. In recent years scientists havedeveloped methods that allow RNAi to be exploited as a research tool to decipherthe function of particular genes. Over the course of the last 12 monthsSigma-Aldrich has made several investments in technology and intellectualproperty in the rapidly evolving area of RNAi through its membership in The RNAiConsortium (TRC), the acquisition of Proligo to solidify its capabilities in RNAsynthesis and by obtaining exclusive and non-exclusive licenses to a broadportfolio of RNAi related patents for the research field. "Sigma-Aldrich has made significant investments in creating the mostcomprehensive portfolio of intellectual property to allow our customers freedomto operate in the cutting-edge arena of RNA Interference," said Shaf Yousaf, President of Sigma-Aldrich's ResearchBiotechnology Business Unit. "Our actions will be to defend our investments andthe valuable intellectual property." About Sigma-Aldrich: Sigma-Aldrich is a leading Life Science and High Technologycompany. Its biochemical and organic chemical products and kits are used inscientific and genomic research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, thediagnosis of disease and as key components in pharmaceutical and other hightechnology manufacturing. The Company has customers in life science companies,university and government institutions, hospitals, and in industry. Over onemillion scientists and technologists use its products. Sigma-Aldrich operates in35 countries and has 7,000 employees providing excellent service worldwide.Sigma-Aldrich is committed to Accelerating Customer Success through Leadershipin Life Science, High Technology and Service. For more information aboutSigma-Aldrich, please visit its award-winning Web site at sigma-aldrich.com. About Oxford BioMedica: Oxford BioMedica is a biopharmaceutical companyspecializing in the development of novel gene-based therapeutics with a focus ononcology and neurotherapy. The Company was established in 1995 as a spin outfrom Oxford University, and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. OxfordBioMedica has core expertise in gene delivery, as well as in-house clinical,regulatory and manufacturing know-how. The Company is underpinned by over 80patent families, which represent one of the broadest patent estates in thefield. The Company has a staff of approximately 70 split between its mainfacilities in Oxford and its wholly owned subsidiary, BioMedica Inc, in SanDiego, California. Oxford BioMedica has corporate collaborations with Wyeth,Intervet, Sigma-Aldrich, Viragen, MolMed, VIRxSYS and Kiadis; and has licensedtechnology to a number of companies including Merck & Co, Biogen Idec andPfizer. Further information is available at www.oxfordbiomedica.co.uk. Cautionary Statement: This press release contains forward-looking statementsthat reflect the Companies' current expectations regarding future events.Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual events coulddiffer materially from those projected herein and depend on a number of factorsincluding the success of the Companies' research strategy, the applicability ofthe discoveries made therein, the successful and timely completion of clinicalstudies and the uncertainties related to the regulatory process. SIGMA-ALDRICH INQUIRIES TO:Christina Bailey+314-713-5784Sean Battles+314-286-7616 ENDS This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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