More hyperbole from Tosk. Just parking to remind myself to have a look at it when I have more time.
SANTA CRUZ, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--June 18, 2002--Tosk today announced the issuance of U.S. patent #6,365,129, which grants the company the exclusive right to use any animal other than mammals to screen for pharmaceutical compounds. "This patent validates and confirms Tosk as the true leader using animals to identify promising pharmaceutical agents. With the issuance of this patent, we are the only company that can use fruit flies, worms or zebrafish to identify candidate drug compounds," says Dr. Patrick Fogarty, CEO of Tosk, Inc.
Using this patented technology, Tosk has identified drug candidates that eliminate metastatic tumors and candidates that halt the degeneration of neurons in adult fruit flies. In addition, Tosk has used its technology to formulate proprietary, safe versions of cisplatin and methotrexate. These compounds produce identical results in a variety of common and previously validated mouse and human assays. "The most amazing aspect of this technology is its utility as a platform. Internal tests have suggested that we could improve as many as 75% of currently marketed drugs," says Fogarty.
"This is the only drug discovery and screening process that provides quantitative, biological efficacy and safety data from an animal system at the first stage of the process. Because it also identifies drugs that have a high likelihood of translating their biological profiles across species it provides an efficient and accurate method for prioritizing preclinical drug candidate and thus focusing resources on the most promising agents," says Fogarty.
One example of the success of this technology has been the internal identification of a formulation of cisplatin (TK-211) that is 3000% less toxic than standard cisplatin, while retaining the same regimen and activity profile as standard cisplatin. This formula has the potential to enable physicians to use cisplatin in ways they are already accustomed to, but to use the drug in either higher doses, or over a broader range of patients, for example patients who were previously too frail or ill to receive treatment due to the harsh side effects. Tosk is actively seeking development partners to advance TK-211 into human clinical trials. "In addition to the exciting benefit for patients and physicians, we believe that this technology has the potential to double the market for cisplatin," concludes Fogarty... |
