To All:
Innovir Laboratories Receives Additional Patent Rights For Oligozymes In Medicine And Research; Protection Will Aid Continued Development Of Applications Based on Nobel Prize-Winning Research
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--December 17, 1997--
Innovir Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ SmallCap: INVR) today
announced that it has been granted additional patent rights covering
the use of oligozymes (catalytically interactive oligomers) to treat
diseases and to aid in pharmaceutical or genomic research. "These
patents further enhance Innovir's ability to harness oligozymes'
strong potential for defining which genes cause certain diseases and
which are good targets for drug research, and also in diagnosing and
treating diseases," said Thomas R. Sharpe, Ph.D., President and
Chief Executive Officer of Innovir. "The intellectual property we
possess enhances Innovir's competitive position as we move forward to
commercialize oligozymes' potential in research and medicine. This
strengthened patent estate, along with research advances made during
the past few months, now positions Innovir to attract corporate
partners and should enable us to meet our commercial objectives."
Innovir announced that four new patent applications have been
allowed and two new patents have issued. The Company already holds 3
issued patents, 8 allowed patent applications and 20 pending patent
applications, as well as corresponding foreign patent rights
concerning oligozyme-based technology, in addition to the patents
exclusively licensed from Yale University.
New Patent Protection
Innovir's newly granted patent rights are described below.
1. Allowed Patent Application - Second-generation EGS Molecule:
A patent application has been allowed on a second-generation EGS
molecule that is only 12-13 nucleotides long. Most oligonucleotides
- including ribozymes, antisense molecules and aptamers - that are
being developed as drug candidates by other companies are at least 18
nucleotides long. Shorter oligozymes are cheaper to manufacture and
are potentially easier to deliver to cells and organs. Innovir is
exploring the potential for these short EGSs in the areas of
functional genomics, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
2. Issued Patent - Chemically Modified EGSs:
Innovir has been issued a patent on first-generation EGS
molecules that are substituted with nucleic acid analogs resistant to
degradation by nucleases. Nucleases are enzymes present in the body
capable of rapidly degrading oligonucleotide- based therapeutic
candidates including unmodified EGSs. Imparting resistance to these
nucleases is important for many applications of oligonucleotide-based
drug candidates. Innovir is developing these chemically modified
EGSs as tools for target validation and functional genomics.
3. Issued Patent - Ribozymes as Diagnostic Agents:
Innovir has been issued a patent for the use of ribozyme
molecules as diagnostic agents for diseases - an application called
Ribozyme Amplified Diagnostics (RAD). This potentially broad patent
covers novel uses of ribozymes for the detection of RNAs and DNAs
associated with various infections. When fully developed, RAD may
become an attractive alternative to current means of detecting
various pathogens associated with disease. RAD may also be used for
detecting RNAs associated with diseases that are not caused by
pathogens.
4. Allowed Patent Application - Ribozymes That Can Be Regulated:
A patent application by Innovir has been allowed for the use of
ribozyme molecules that can be regulated - an application called
Regulatable Nucleic Acid Therapeutics (RNAT). RNAT makes it possible
to maximize ribozymes' ability to prevent or halt cells' excess
production of proteins, which causes many diseases. RNAT utilizes a
substance that binds to ribozymes, modulating the ability of the
ribozyme to cleave, and thereby inactivate, a targeted RNA molecule.
5. Allowed Patent Application - Targeting Oligonucleotides to Liver Cells:
A patent application by Innovir has been allowed for enhancing
the delivery of oligozymes and other oligonucleotides to hepatocytes
(liver cells) by use of a delivery reagent called hemeliposomes.
This reagent consists of lipid particles that are coupled to heme, a
hemoglobin component that binds to liver cells with high affinity.
Due to this binding action, therapeutic oligozymes that are mixed
with heme-liposomes can be targeted to diseased liver cells.
6. Allowed Patent Application - Vector Useful for Oligonucleotide:
Delivery A patent application by Innovir has been allowed for the
production of a delta virus-based vector for the delivery of
oligonuclotide-based therapeutics to cells and organs to treat viral
infections. Delta virus is a small virus that infects the liver and
can divide only in cells already infected with hepatitis B virus.
The delta viral vector is a potentially useful tool for delivering
oligozymes to liver cells infected with hepatitis B virus.
EGS Oligozymes-How They Work and Their Broad Potential
EGS molecules are oligozymes that are designed to specifically
bind to targeted "messenger RNAs" (mRNA), a family of compounds that
play a key role in controlling body chemistry. Once the EGS
molecules attach to their target, they cause a cellular enzyme called
RNase P to degrade the mRNA to which they are bound; the EGS
molecules are then free to repeat the process. This process has
therapeutic value because it can be used to seek out and degrade the
mRNAs associated with particular diseases. As the foundation for its
ongoing research and development, Innovir has an exclusive worldwide
license from Yale University to commercialize External Guide Sequence
(EGS) oligozymes. The technology is a direct outgrowth of the work
for which Dr. Sidney Altman, Sterling Professor of Biology at Yale,
was awarded the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Under its license,
Innovir has sole rights to EGS for use in targeting infectious agents
in all animal species and cell types. The Company's patents cover
both the EGS technology - including design, synthesis, chemical
modification and delivery - and its application for specific
diseases. In August 1997, Dr. Altman and his colleagues announced
that they have discovered a way to use Innovir's EGS oligozymes to
make drug-resistant bacteria drug-sensitive by eliminating the
bacteria's ability to inactivate antibiotics. The findings are
significant because an increasing number of diseases once thought to
be under control - such as meningitis and tuberculosis - are
developing resistance to antibiotics.
EGSs' selective action also makes this technology useful as a
tool for drug target validation - helping to select appropriate
targets for the development of new pharmaceuticals - and gene
function analysis. Researchers can use EGSs to inactivate mRNA
molecules in a highly selective way to gain a better understanding of
disease processes.
The Company
Innovir Laboratories, Inc. (Nasdaq SmallCap: INVR) - a majority-
owned subsidiary of VIMRX Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: VMRX) - is a
biotechnology company that has been developing technologies based on
catalytically interactive oligomers (oligozymes) for pharmaceutical
and genomic research and also for the treatment and prevention of
diseases. As a research aid, oligozymes hold potential both to
identify how different genes function and to validate molecular
targets for new drug therapies. The Company's technologies utilize
either External Guide Sequences (EGS) oligozymes - which inactivate
targeted mRNA through use of cellular enzyme RNase P - or RILON(TM)
oligozymes, which inactivate targeted mRNA directly. To complement
its therapeutic and drug target validation programs, Innovir has
developed a unique drug delivery tool called InnoPhor(TM) that makes
it possible to target oligozymes within cells.
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a
"safe harbor" for certain forward-looking statements. The forward-
looking statements contained in this release are subject to certain
risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from
current expectations. Among the factors which could affect the
Company's actual results and could cause results to differ from those
contained in the forward-looking statements contained herein are the
success of the Company's clinical trials and the development of
competing therapies and/or technologies by other companies.
NOTE TO INVESTORS AND EDITORS: Innovir's press releases are
available on the Internet through VIMRX Pharmaceutical Inc.'s web
site at www.vimrx.com and through BusinessWire's web site, under the
VIMRX heading, at businesswire.com. The releases also are
available at no charge through BusinessWire's fax-on-demand service
at 800-411-8792.
--30--kam/ny*
CONTACT: Media Contact:
Laura A. Mastrangelo
VIMRX Pharmaceuticals
302-998-1734
or
Contact:
Dian Griesel, Ph.D.
The Investor Relations Group
212-664-8489 |
