Sounds good......
Discovery of Small Molecule Gene-Regulating Drugs is Topic of Presentation by
Vice President of Research Cynthia Edwards, Ph.D.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Genelabs Technologies, Inc.
(Nasdaq: GNLB) is further enhancing its broad patent position in the field of
gene-regulating drugs that function by binding to DNA. The company has
recently received notices of allowance for seven patents covering its
technology, significantly expanding the intellectual property protection for a
new class of gene-regulating drugs. Vice President of Research Cynthia
Edwards, Ph.D., the principal inventor of Genelabs' proprietary enabling
technology for creating small molecule DNA-binding drugs for gene regulation,
will discuss this technology at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, August 13 at the Drug
Discovery Technology '97 international symposium being held Monday through
Thursday in San Diego.
Merlin(TM), the platform technology on which Genelabs' DNA-binding drug
program is based, has already been awarded broad patents in the US, Canada,
and Australia. The new patents will claim technologies for: screening
biological, chemical and combinatorial chemistry libraries to identify novel
DNA-binding molecules; profiling these molecules to determine sequence binding
preferences; methods for designing molecules to target sequences of sufficient
length for functional specificity; and confirming sequence binding
preferences. Additionally, the Company has also received a composition of
matter patent allowance broadly claiming small, organic molecules that bind to
DNA in a sequence-specific manner to alter gene expression by displacing
transcription factors from their binding sites. These allowances add to the
strong intellectual property position Genelabs has built around its
gene-regulating drug discovery program.
"The ability to selectively block the interaction of certain factors with
their DNA-binding sites using small molecules has the potential for opening up
an entirely new class of pharmaceuticals," stated Dr. Edwards. "The power of
such an approach lies in the "universal" structure of DNA. Once molecular
building blocks have been identified using Merlin, the drug discovery process
could be markedly shortened for any therapeutic area in which gene expression
plays a causal role."
Genelabs believes that gene-regulating drugs have the potential to bring
significant value to the ongoing genomics efforts in academics and industry,
which are providing a wealth of information about the genes involved in
disease processes. As the knowledge of the genes involved in diseases
increases, so do the potential targets for Genelabs' entirely new class of
drugs, gene-specific DNA-binding drugs.
At the end of 1996, the Company received a US patent covering the
therapeutic use of small-molecule drugs that act by binding to a
sequence-specific region of a gene and displacing a regulatory protein from
its binding site, potentially creating an entirely new field of drugs for the
regulation of disease-associated genes. The patent specifically claims a
method for altering the binding characteristics of a DNA-binding protein
(e.g., a transcription factor) by adding a small-molecule drug that binds to a
target region in the DNA that is adjacent to or overlapping a regulatory
protein binding site.
Genelabs is working with The DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company to
jointly develop small molecule gene-regulating drugs for certain target genes
and Genelabs retains the ability to establish other types of collaborations as
well.
James A.D. Smith, Chief Operating Officer, said, "Given the breadth of our
intellectual property portfolio and our accumulating expertise in the field,
we believe Genelabs is well positioned for the discovery of novel
gene-regulating drugs, not only for internal development, but as a preferred
partner for pharmaceutical companies such as our collaborator DuPont Merck."
Genelabs Technologies, Inc. is a global biopharmaceutical and diagnostics
company focused on gene-regulating drug discovery; infectious diseases
including hepatitis; and immunological disorders including lupus. The
company's lead pharmaceutical compound, GL701, is in Phase III clinical trials
as a new therapy for systemic lupus erythematosus. The lead research program
is based on a proprietary enabling technology, Merlin(TM), for creating
gene-specific, small organic, DNA-binding molecules. Additional research
efforts are underway in the area of genomics for the identification of novel
immunomodulatory genes. The Company operates a wholly-owned diagnostics
subsidiary, Genelabs Diagnostics (Pte.) Ltd., which sells diagnostic tests for
infectious diseases primarily in major markets in Europe and Asia. Genelabs'
headquarters are located in Redwood City, California.
Other than statements of historical fact, this press release contains
statements which are forward looking and are subject to a number of
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the
statements made, including risks associated with the success of research and
product development programs and intellectual property rights. See the
information appearing under the caption "Risks Factors" in the Company's
1996 Form 10-K as well as the Company's reports of Forms 10-Q and 8-K filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time for certain
information about risks associated with research programs, the Company's early
stage developments and other risks which may affect the Company. The Company
does not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements
to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.
Genelabs' press releases are available by fax 24 hours a day at no charge
by calling PR Newswire's Company News On-Call at 800-758-5804, extension
115419. They are also posted on the Internet at prnewswire.com.
SOURCE Genelabs Technologies, Inc.
-0- 08/12/97
/CONTACT: Debra Catz Bannister, Vice President, Corporate Communications
and Investor Relations of Genelabs, 415-562-1424/
(GNLB) |
