Wednesday April 12, 9:30 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Photogen Technologies, Inc.
Photogen Issued Patent For Its Two-Photon
Excitation Technology; Advanced Technology Used to
Destroy Cancerous Tissue
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Photogen Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: PHGN - news) today announced that
the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent covering Photogen's apparatus for treatment using Two-Photon
Excitation (TPE) for activation of photoactive agents. This is another application in a series that gives the company extensive
coverage for therapeutic use of its proprietary Two-Photon Excitation technology in medicine.
Photogen, an emerging biotechnology company that develops advanced non- and minimally invasive diagnostics and
therapeutics, was issued divisional patent (U.S. 6,042,603) for apparatus claims contained in its original application (U.S.
5,829,448) for therapeutic uses of Two-Photon Excitation.
TPE is an advanced, light-based technology that uses ultrashort, pulsed bursts of long-wavelength light to destroy cancerous
and diseased tissue. It also can be used for various diagnostic applications. TPE is in various stages of pre-clinical research for
use in indications such as melanoma treatment, hair removal and biomedical research and clinical diagnostics.
``Securing rights for devices that deliver our TPE technology is a significant milestone in our patent strategy,' said President and
CEO Timothy Scott. ``TPE is one of the original technologies on which we founded the company. Using it as a foundation, we
are beginning to pursue related non- and minimally invasive procedures for various indications.
``We are pleased to have coverage, including methods for producing activated agents and details of devices used for effecting
TPE in medicine. Eventually, we believe that physicians and the medical marketplace will benefit from treatment packages that
we develop for cancer and other medical conditions.'
Walter G. Fisher, Ph.D., Eric A. Wachter, Ph.D., and Craig Dees, Ph.D., all senior scientists at Photogen, developed the
invention.
About Photogen
Photogen Technologies, Inc. is a development-stage company focused on creating therapeutic and diagnostic products based
on its proprietary multi-photon and other related technologies. The company has discovered new methods for using energy
from lasers, X-rays or other sources to activate photoactive agents within tissue sufficient to produce a range of beneficial
therapeutic and diagnostic outcomes. These technologies involve methods, materials and devices that may be used to produce
light or other energy and photoactive agents and to destroy diseased cells, remove tissue or identify and diagnose disease.
Photogen has U.S. patents and additional pending applications in the U.S. and elsewhere for certain of its proprietary
technology.
Statements in this release that are not strictly historical are ``forward-looking' statements that are made pursuant to the safe
harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and
unknown risks, which may cause the company's actual results in the future to differ materially from expected results. These risks
and uncertainties include: the ability of the company to develop a product and obtain regulatory approval for its use; the ability
of the company to successfully market and sell any products and equipment; the company's ability to manufacture products in
sufficient quantities; the company's ability to maintain intellectual property protection for its proprietary products, to defend its
existing intellectual property rights from challenges by third parties, and to avoid infringing intellectual property rights of third
parties; unforeseen operating risks; the company's ability to secure collaborative agreements with third parties for various
research, development, manufacturing, marketing and other functions; competition; risks associated with the dependence on
manufacturers of the company's proposed products; the availability of capital to finance planned activities; and the extent to
which the clinicians performing the procedures are able to obtain third-party reimbursement. These risks are qualified in their
entirety by cautionary language and risk factors set forth in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Media Contacts: Joan Murray or Hilary Kaye at Hilary Kaye Associates (714) 426-0444 (PST) or
jmurray@hkamarcom.com.
Investor Relations Contact: Jonathan Fassberg or Isabel Cordova at The Trout Group (212) 477-9007 (EST) or
jonathan@troutgroup.com.
SOURCE: Photogen Technologies, Inc. |
