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
Business Wire - December 17, 1997 09:27
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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.
CONTACT: Media Contact:
Laura A. Mastrangelo
VIMRX Pharmaceuticals
302-998-1734
or
Investor Contact:
Dian Griesel, Ph.D.
The Investor Relations Group
212-664-8489
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