Wednesday July 11, 7:00 am Eastern Time
Press Release
Kosan Receives NIH Grant to Generate Novel
Antibiotics
HAYWARD, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--July 11, 2001--Kosan Biosciences Incorporated (Nasdaq:KOSN - news) announced
today that it was awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovative Research grant from the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Disease. The $555,000 two-year grant was awarded to Kosan to develop a novel class of macrolide antibiotics.
``Our goal is to create an entirely new class of antibiotics that bind to multiple sites on the ribosome,'' said Leonard Katz, Ph.D.,
Vice President of Biological Sciences at Kosan and the principal investigator for the grant. ``Using our enabling technology and
principles of rational drug design, we will pioneer the use of recently elucidated ribosome structures to develop novel anti-microbial
agents,'' added Katz.
Kosan Biosciences Incorporated is a biotechnology company that has proprietary gene-engineering technologies for the
manipulation and production of polyketides, a rich source of pharmaceuticals. Kosan uses its platform technologies to develop
product candidates that target large pharmaceutical markets. Therapeutic targets for the Company's compounds include cancer,
infectious disease, gastrointestinal motility disorders, mucus hypersecretion and nerve regeneration.
This news release contains forward-looking statements, including those regarding Kosan's research plans for new antibiotics and
its technologies, product opportunities and target markets. Actual results could differ materially. These statements are subject to
risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, whether Kosan's research will succeed in generating novel anti-microbial
compounds that successfully advance through pre-clinical and clinical testing, Kosan's ability to maintain or establish collaborations
and proprietary rights and avoid claims of infringement of third party proprietary rights and the risk factors included in Kosan's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K and other periodic reports it files
with the SEC.
Contact:
Kosan Biosciences
Michael S. Ostrach, 510/732-8400 ext. 207
or
Burns McClellan, Inc.
Stephanie Diaz, 415/352-6262 (Investors)
Nancy Robinson, 415/352-6262 (Media) |
