March 7, 2001--CytoGenix Inc. (CYGX) has executed Sponsored Research Agreements (SRAs) with two leading universities, Yale University School of Medicine and Columbia University. The principal investigators leading these studies are Peter Glazer, MD, Ph.D. at Yale and Cy A. Stein, MD, Ph.D. at Columbia University.
CytoGenix Inc, is a Houston-based, early-stage, biotechnology company involved in the research, development, and commercialization of ssDNA expression vectors (TroVec(TM) & EnzSyn(TM)). The CytoGenix platform technology is an intracellular expression system that produces unmodified strands of ssDNA designed specifically for therapeutic interventions related to antisense, triplex, aptamer and DNA enzyme applications.
CytoGenix Vice President of Research and Development Jonathan F. Elliston, Ph.D., J.D., directs the in-house research at the CYGX Laboratory in Houston and coordinates the SRAs with the various universities and medical research facilities throughout the United States. Dr. Elliston negotiated the Yale and Columbia SRAs to provide research towards proof-of-principle of the company's proprietary single-stranded DNA expression technology in animals and the development of therapeutic products based on the technology. Regarding the most recently executed SRAs, Dr. Elliston commented, ``I am very pleased to have Drs. Glazer and Stein involved in the advancement of CytoGenix's single-stranded DNA expression technology in the areas of triplex and antisense therapies. Together with the other on-going SRAs, we have a stellar group of Principal Investigators committed to driving the research from basic research studies to studies that will develop therapeutic products based on our platform ssDNA expression technology.''
Dr. Glazer's research team at Yale will focus on the use of triplex-forming oligonucleotides (TFOs) to modify gene function in mice. Dr. Glazer is a professor in the Department of Therapeutic Radiology and Genetics, and has been a member of CYGX's scientific advisory board since 1999. Dr. Glazer is a named inventor on several patents related to the modification of genes using TFOs. Dr. Glazer's research project with CYGX was initiated as a ``beta test'' kit project under a Material Transfer Agreement, and has evolved into a funded Sponsored Research Agreement to provide proof-of-principle studies in animals of the CytoGenix ssDNA expression technology designed specifically for therapeutic intervention using TFOs.
Dr. Stein's study, at Columbia University in New York City, will focus on antisense therapies in human prostate and bladder cancer. Dr. Stein, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine and Pharmacology at Columbia, is a well-published investigator in the world of antisense therapies, in particular prostate cancer. He is a named inventor on several patents in the field, and is co-editor of the Antisense & Nucleic Acid Drug Development Journal. Dr. Stein's study will provide proof-of-principle studies of CYGX's ssDNA expression technology designed specifically for antisense therapies.
Triplex and antisense therapeutics, although similar in structure since both are formed basically of ssDNA, differ markedly in the way they prevent expression of harmful proteins. It has been shown in triplex therapies that TFOs recognize and bind to specific double-stranded DNA sequences in the genome of a cell to alter a particular gene's ability to make messenger RNA (mRNA). Thus the TFOs immediately block the production of disease causing proteins at the genomic level. In contrast, antisense therapies recognize and bind directly to mRNA expressed by the gene, thus blocking the production of disease causing proteins at a later part of the protein production process.
SAFE HARBOR: Except for statements of historical fact, the statements in this press release are forward-looking. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. These factors include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, risks associated with the acceptance of new products, competition, and other factors more fully detailed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Additional information about CytoGenix and its technology can be found on the Web site at www.cytogenix.com or call Dell Gibson at 281/988-6118, Investor Relations/Corporate Communications. |
