for hints of what a target might be.....
Thursday April 27, 9:17 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: ZymoGenetics, Inc.
ZymoGenetics Discovers Potential New Therapy for
Autoimmune Diseases
- Preclinical Research Published in Nature; Genomics-Based Treatment Inhibited Lupus
Symptoms in Mice -
SEATTLE, April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at ZymoGenetics, Inc. announced today the discovery of a potential new
therapy for lupus, and possibly other autoimmune diseases. Administration of a novel immunosuppressive agent developed at
ZymoGenetics inhibited disease symptoms and prolonged life in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This
research, reported in the April 27, 2000 issue of Nature, demonstrates the important role genomics can play in the discovery of
novel pharmaceuticals.
Researchers hope that this discovery could lead to breakthrough treatments for a variety of immunological diseases, such as
lupus, myasthenia gravis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, and perhaps certain types of lymphatic cancers.
``We were one of the first to recognize the powerful opportunity to identify protein therapeutics from genomics approaches''
said ZymoGenetics President and CEO, Bruce L.A. Carter, Ph.D. ``Our discovery that the soluble TACI receptor inhibits
symptoms of autoimmune disease provides further validation of our strategy, which combines expertise in genomics and biology
to turn novel proteins into therapeutic candidates.''
How the New Treatment Worked in Mice
B cells play an important role in the body's immune system by producing antibodies, which attach to foreign matter and initiate a
normal immune response.
In diseases of autoimmunity like lupus, B cells go awry and produce antibodies that attack the body in a destructive manner. In
SLE patients, the amounts of these circulating antibodies become too great for the body to effectively eliminate, eventually
resulting in kidney damage and sometimes death.
The immunosuppressive agent under investigation at ZymoGenetics, termed soluble ``TACI,'' is a modified form of a receptor
that is found on the surface of B cells. Soluble TACI works by capturing a cytokine in the blood that stimulates B cells to make
antibodies. In diseased mice treated with soluble TACI, this captured cytokine was unable to act on B cells. The proportion of
B cells decreased, and these mice lived longer and had less severe disease symptoms. Researchers are continuing to investigate
the use of soluble TACI to regulate B cell activities, including the inhibition of production of destructive antibodies against the
body.
``We have established an important relationship between TACI and SLE in mice,'' said lead author on the Nature paper, Dr.
Jane Gross. ``We can now examine the utility of the soluble TACI receptor as a therapeutic for other autoimmune diseases.''
The unmodified TACI receptor was discovered separately by ZymoGenetics and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
ZymoGenetics has taken an exclusive license to intellectual property owned by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital relating to
the unmodified receptor.
Background on Lupus
Over one million people in the United States suffer from SLE, and of these, an estimated 200,000 have sustained severe organ
damage, requiring them to take immunosuppressive drugs to help them control the disease. Many of these drugs have
debilitating side effects, so there is a clear need for treatments that act more specifically. There have been no fundamental
advances in the treatment of SLE since the 1970s. In addition to SLE, more than fifty diseases are thought to involve
autoimmunity. Researchers at ZymoGenetics are hopeful that soluble TACI will ultimately prove successful in the treatment of
autoimmune diseases.
ZymoGenetics, founded in 1981, currently leverages its expertise in bioinformatics and biology to discover and develop novel
therapeutic proteins. Several product candidates that address significant disease markets are in preclinical development under a
strong patent portfolio. ZymoGenetics' successful track record of protein discovery and genetic engineering places it among the
top biotech companies in terms of the number of marketed products derived from its work. These include:
-- human insulin (Novolin©) marketed for insulin dependent diabetics by
Novo Nordisk A/S
-- Factor VIIa (NovoSeven© Coagulation Factor VIIa Recombinant), also
marketed by Novo Nordisk A/S, for the treatment of bleeding episodes in
hemophilia A or B patients with inhibitors
-- platelet-derived growth factor (becaplermin) for treating non-healing
diabetic ulcers
-- analog of tissue plasminogen activator (monteplase), which is marketed
in Japan for the treatment of myocardial infarction
-- glucagon (GlucaGen© [glucagons (rDNA origin) for injection], approved
for use as a diagnostic aid during radiological examinations and for
the treatment of severe hypoglycemia in diabetic patients treated with
insulin, which was outlicensed for US marketing to Bedford
Laboratories(TM)
ZymoGenetics is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, has 280 employees, and serves as the primary US discovery arm of
Novo Nordisk A/S. Novo Nordisk A/S is the world leader in insulin and diabetes care and also manufactures and markets a
variety of other pharmaceutical products. Furthermore, the company is the world's largest producer of enzymes for industrial
use. Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs approximately 15,200 people in 68 countries and markets its
products in 179 countries. Its B shares are listed on the stock exchanges in Copenhagen and London. Its ADSs are listed on
the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ``NVO.'' A demerger of Novo Nordisk with the intention to spin off the
Enzyme Business into a separately listed company is expected to take place around the turn of the year 2000/2001. Novo
Nordisk's current plans anticipate that ZymoGenetics will be listed independently at a later date. For further company
information, visit Novo Nordisk on the World Wide Web at novo.dk, or zymogenetics.com.
SOURCE: ZymoGenetics, Inc. |
