PRESS RELEASE:BioTransplant Presents Study's Results
BioTransplant and Massachusetts General Hospital Highlight Advances in
Preclinical Models for the Treatment of Leukemia and Lymphoma
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- BioTransplant Incorporated (Nasdaq:
BTRN) and the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) announced significant
progress in optimizing bone marrow transplantation and donor lymphocyte
infusions (DLI) as a successful therapeutic approach to treating blood
cancers. The results were presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the
American Society for Hematology in San Francisco, California on December 1-5.
These studies are designed to improve cancer therapy in pre-clinical models
and support current clinical trials in the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma
using a prototype of BioTransplant's AlloMune(TM) System.
The goal of the AlloMune System is to produce "mixed chimerism" in the
patient's immune system. Mixed chimerism is the condition in which the
donor's transplanted cells co-exist with the recipient's cells. This is
distinct from "full chimerism" which occurs following traditional bone marrow
transplantation, when the transplanted cells replace the blood cells in the
recipient's body. These studies demonstrated the advantages of mixed
chimerism over full chimerism.
After establishment of chimerism, DLI can be administered to enhance the
anti-cancer effect. When DLI are administered to a mixed chimera rather than
to a full chimera, significantly improved anti-leukemic effects have occurred.
In studies presented by Markus Y. Mapara, M.D., of MGH, the administration of
DLI to a mouse leukemia/lymphoma model markedly increased the
graft-vs-leukemia response when given to mixed rather than full chimeras.
These studies showed a median survival time for the full chimeras of 96 days
following DLI and tumor challenge. In contrast, the mixed chimeras that
received DLI and tumor challenge had greater than 156 day median survival at
the time of this report. This may be due to effective presentation of
recipient tumor antigens by the retained host cells, which allows the DLI to
be more effective
Other presentations include the work of Young Mi Kim, M.D., of MGH, to
evaluate the importance of the timing of DLI. Julian Down, Ph.D., Director of
Hematology at BioTransplant presented studies directed toward optimizing the
conditioning regimen for the induction of mixed chimerism.
Dr. Mapara's and Dr Kim's studies were performed in the laboratory of Megan
Sykes, M.D., Director of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Section and
Professor of Surgery and Medicine at Harvard Medical School who commented,
"Although bone marrow transplantation can improve long term survival in blood
cancer patients, many patients need alternative donors because they do not
have a matched sibling or unrelated donor. We believe that these animal
studies and our ongoing clinical studies demonstrate that mismatched
transplantations should ultimately be safely performed and that DLI with its
graft-vs-leukemia effects can become available to a greater proportion of
patients suffering from hematologic cancers."
"For patients in whom other treatment options are ineffective, bone marrow
transplantation followed by DLI may become the treatment of choice," said
Elliot Lebowitz, Ph.D., President and CEO of BioTransplant. "We believe that
BioTransplant's AlloMune(TM) System for Cancer conditioning regimen prior to
transplant appears to provide a safer alternative to current chemotherapy
protocols and will help in extending therapy to patients with cancer."
BioTransplant Incorporated utilizes its proprietary technologies to
re-educate the body's immune responses to allow tolerance of foreign cells,
tissues and organs. Based on this technology, the Company is developing a
portfolio of products for application in a range of medical conditions,
including organ and tissue transplantation, and treatment of cancer and
autoimmune diseases, for which current therapies are inadequate.
BioTransplant's products under development are intended to induce long-term
functional transplantation tolerance in humans, increase the therapeutic
benefit of bone marrow transplants, and reduce or eliminate the need for
lifelong immunosuppressive therapy. This release and additional information
on BioTransplant is available on the Web at biotransplant.com
This announcement contains, in addition to historical information,
forward-looking statements about BioTransplant that involve risks and
uncertainties. Such statements reflect management's current views and are
based on assumptions. Actual results could differ materially from those
currently anticipated as a result of a number of important factors. Factors
that could cause future results to differ materially from such forward-looking
statements include, but are not limited to: BioTransplant's ability to secure
the substantial additional funding required for its operations and research
and development programs; BioTransplant's ability to successfully discover,
develop and commercialize its products, obtain required regulatory approvals
in a timely fashion, and overcome other difficulties inherent in developing
pharmaceuticals and procedures for organ transplantation; BioTransplant's
ability to obtain and enforce the patent protection required for its products;
uncertainties to the extent of future government regulation of the
transplantation business; and BioTransplant's ability to maintain
collaborations and joint venture alliances with third parties. For a detailed
discussion of these and other factors, see the section titled "Business --
Factors Which May Affect Results" in BioTransplant's current annual report on
Form 10-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contact: Elliot Lebowitz, Ph.D., President and CEO, Julia Greenstein,
Ph.D., CSO, both of BioTransplant Incorporated, 617-241-5200; Investors - Pat
Dimond, Ph. D., 212-696-4455, ext. 245, Media - Prateek Patnaik 212-696-4455,
ext. 273, both of Noonan-Russo Communications; Susan McGreevey, Public Affairs
of Massachusetts General Hospital, 617-724-2764 SOURCE BioTransplant
Incorporated and Massachusetts General Hospital
/NOTE TO EDITORS: This release is also available on the Internet at
noonanrusso.com
/CONTACT: Elliot Lebowitz, Ph.D., President and CEO, Julia Greenstein,
Ph.D., CSO, both of BioTransplant Incorporated, 617-241-5200; Investors - Pat
Dimond, Ph. D., 212-696-4455, ext. 245, Media - Prateek Patnaik 212-696-4455,
ext. 273, both of Noonan-Russo Communications; Susan McGreevey, Public Affairs
of Massachusetts General Hospital, 617-724-2764/
/Web site: biotransplant.com
noonanrusso.com
biotransplant.com
(BTRN) CO: BioTransplant Incorporated; Massachusetts General Hospital ST:
California IN: MTC BIO HEA SU:
(END) DOW JONES NEWS 12-04-00
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