A New Decision Resources Report Predicts That the Beginning of the Next Millennium Will be an Exciting Time for Those with a Stake in Antisense Therapeutics
WALTHAM, Mass, Dec. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Antisense therapeutics selectively interfere with or prevent the expression of specific proteins, thus offering a means of intervening in fundamental processes that cause disease, with minimal effects on normal processes. During the past decade, the uses of antisense as a therapeutic and drug discovery tool have continued to expand. A recent estimate placed the number of scientific articles in which antisense technology has been used as a probe for gene function or a means of investigating the biology of disease at more than 10,000. Perhaps more encouraging than the continuing faith of the biomedical research community in antisense as a tool for dissecting molecular and cellular processes is the advancement of a number of antisense therapeutics in clinical development.
As 1999 draws to a close, new agreements continue to validate the promise of antisense as a viable therapeutic approach while providing the financial resources and expertise necessary to address the key issue of improved delivery for antisense drugs. For example, in the wake of the approval of fomivirsen (Isis Pharmaceuticals' Vitravene; ISIS-2922) for cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis and the encouraging results of a number of recent clinical trials, several important collaborations have been announced, including those sealed by AstraZeneca and Elan with Isis in late 1998 and early 1999 respectively.
Outlook for Antisense Therapeutics: Cancer, Inflammatory Disorders, Infectious Disease, and Restenosis, a new DR Report published by Decision Resources, Inc., looks at the commercial potential in these four disease areas. The report provides an overview of the field of antisense therapeutics, offers a brief historical perspective, presents scientific background necessary to understand the mechanism by which antisense agents work, and introduces the reader to important considerations in their design and synthesis. Other key points of analysis in this report include the following:
-- Developments in oral delivery, antisense synthesis, and antisense
target validation.
-- Clinical applications, disease markets for which antisense drugs are
approved or in development, and the status of agents in preclinical or
clinical trials.
-- Four important technologies are evaluated in the context of their
relationship to antisense drug development-gene therapy, ribozymes,
oligonucleotide modifications, and drug delivery systems.
-- Analysis of the pipelines, strategies, disease focuses, and
collaborations of companies active in antisense-based therapeutics.
Sales inquiries, contact: Jean Carbone, phone 781-487-3737, e-mail carbone@dresources.com. This report is available for $3200.00.
DR Reports analyze technological advances, regulatory developments, and business trends in the health care industry. Decision Resources was founded as a subsidiary of Arthur D. Little, Inc., and is now an independent, employee-owned health care research and consulting firm.
SOURCE: Decision Resources, Inc.
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