Maxim Announces Two Additional U.S. Patents for Apoptosis Screening Technology
SAN DIEGO--(BW HealthWire)--April 8, 2002--Maxim Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq\NM:MAXM)(SSE:MAXM) today announced that the United States Patent Office has issued two new key patents underlying the proprietary assay that the company is using to identify compounds that can modulate programmed cell death, or apoptosis.
Multiple compounds identified by Maxim with this assay are currently advancing toward human clinical trials as potential anti-cancer agents as part of the company's internal development efforts and as a result of the research being performed under existing pharmaceutical collaborations.
Overview of Screening Technology and New Patents
Maxim has developed a proprietary assay that is targeted to the identification of compounds that can modulate apoptosis. Promising compounds are identified from large compound libraries using cell-based assays that monitor the activity of caspases, key enzymes that modulate and carry out the cellular signaling pathways involved in apoptosis. These assays are able to monitor activation of the caspase cascade inside a wide variety of living cells or cell lines derived from any organ system in the body. Compounds that are pro-apoptotic (induce apoptosis) may serve as new drug candidates for the treatment of certain cancers.
The United States Patent Office has issued U.S. Patents 6,335,429 and 6,342,611, both entitled ``Fluorogenic or Fluorescent Reporter Molecules and their Applications for Whole-Cell Fluorescence Screening Assays for Caspases and other Enzymes and the Use Thereof.'' These patents encompass the composition of matter and use of the novel fluorescent dyes, novel fluorogenic and fluorescent reporter molecules and new enzyme assay processes including caspase. They also encompass the novel substrate used in the screening assay.
Maxim researchers have completed screening libraries comprising more than one-half million compounds, and more than 50 validated lead compounds have entered the company's development pipeline. These potential drug candidates are members of newly discovered pro-apoptotic compound families that specifically target certain cancer cells through a variety of novel or validated mechanisms depending upon the compound, with targets including certain key kinases and other enzymes, and certain receptors.
``We are pleased to broaden our potential proprietary protection surrounding this core technology platform as the anti-cancer arm of the discovery program has already identified a series of small-molecule compounds that are pro-apoptotic against specific cancer types and a number of compounds that exhibit activity against chemo-resistant cancer lines,'' said Kurt R. Gehlsen, Ph.D., Maxim's senior vice president, development and chief technical officer. ``With the capacity to screen hundreds of thousands of compounds per year, we hope to produce multiple additional drug candidates from our research program in the future.''
In February 2002, at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Apoptosis in Cancer Meeting in Kona, Hawaii, researchers presented this week data highlighting the scope of Maxim's apoptosis drug discovery program. As described in the AACR presentation, the anti-cancer arm of the discovery program has identified a series of small-molecule compounds that induce apoptosis (cell death) against specific cancer types and a number of compounds that exhibit activity against chemo-resistant cancer lines. The company's apoptosis inducer compounds represent early stage, investigational drug candidates, and none have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any international regulatory agency.
Maxim Overview
Maxim Pharmaceuticals is a global biopharmaceutical company with a diverse pipeline of therapeutic candidates for life-threatening cancers and liver diseases. Maxim's research and development programs are designed to offer hope to patients by developing safe and effective therapeutic candidates that have the potential to extend survival while maintaining quality of life. Maxim has attracted an experienced international management group and a team of employees dedicated to commercializing life-enhancing product candidates. Joining this motivated team in its mission are world-leading scientific and clinical investigators and major pharmaceutical development partners.
Maxim's lead drug Ceplene(TM), based on the naturally occurring molecule histamine, is designed to prevent or inhibit oxidative stress, thereby reversing immune suppression and protecting critical immune cells. Ceplene is currently being tested in Phase 3 cancer clinical trials for advanced metastatic melanoma and acute myelogenous leukemia. Phase 2 trials of Ceplene are also underway for the treatment of hepatitis C and advanced renal cell carcinoma. More than 1,300 patients have participated in the company's completed and ongoing clinical trials. Ceplene is an investigational drug and has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any international regulatory agency.
The company's third technology platform, MaxDerm(TM), is an investigational drug candidate designed for the treatment of medical conditions for which topical therapy is appropriate such as oral mucositis, herpes, decubitus ulcers, shingles, burns and related conditions.
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding the efficacy and intended utilization of Ceplene, MaxDerm and the apoptosis modulator compounds, and regarding the company's clinical trials. Such statements are only predictions and the company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such differences include the risk that products that appeared promising in early research and clinical trials do not demonstrate safety or efficacy in larger-scale clinical trials, the risk that the company will not obtain approval to market its products, and the risk that if the company fails to secure adequate protection of its intellectual property or the right to use certain intellectual property of others, it may not be able to protect its products and technologies from competitors. These factors and others are more fully discussed in the company's periodic reports and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Note: Ceplene(TM), MaxDerm(TM) and the Maxim logo are trademarks of the company.
Editor's Note: This release is also available on the Internet at maxim.com.
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Contact:
Maxim Pharmaceuticals
Larry G. Stambaugh/Dale A. Sander
858/453-4040
or
Burns McClellan
Stephanie Diaz (investors)
415/352-6262
or
Kathy Jones, Ph.D. (media)
212/213-0006 |
