Noonan/Russo left ticker out of release, will be hard to connect to BTRN.......
biz.yahoo.com
Tuesday May 16, 9:15 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: BioTransplant Incorporated
Massachusetts General Hospital Animal Study
Achieves Long-Term Tolerance to Mismatched
Pancreatic Islet Transplant
- BioTransplant-licensed Procedure Reverses Insulin-Dependent Diabetes In a Primate Without
Immunosuppressive Drugs -
CHARLESTOWN, Mass., May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- BioTransplant Incorporated and its collaborators from the
Transplantation Unit and the Transplantation Biology Research Center (TRBC) of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)
today announced the successful transplantation of primate pancreatic islet cells into a mismatched diabetic primate without the
need for long-term administration of immunosuppressive drugs. The recipient animal's insulin-dependent diabetes was
completely reversed by the procedure, and remains reversed at more than 230 days after transplantation.
These findings were presented today at Transplant 2000, the combined meeting of the American Society of Transplant
Surgeons and American Society of Transplant Physicians in Chicago, by Tatsuo Kawai, M.D., an MGH transplant surgeon and
TBRC researcher. The abstract describing the results, entitled ``Successful Induction of Tolerance of Pancreatic Islets between
MHC-Mismatched Nonhuman Primates'' is one of 19 to be presented at the meeting by BioTransplant researchers and/or their
MGH collaborators.
BioTransplant and MGH researchers have previously demonstrated in primates and other animal models that transplantation of
donor kidneys or hearts can be accomplished in mismatched recipients without the need for long-term administration of toxic
immunosuppressive drugs. This is accomplished using a multi-step bone marrow transplantation procedure to induce tolerance
that does not involve destruction of the recipient's immune system, a procedure that was developed at the MGH TBRC.
The approach, demonstrated in an animal model of BioTransplant's AlloMune(TM) System, involves an allogeneic (non-self)
bone marrow transplant procedure using T-cell-specific antibodies and a short course of immunosuppressive drugs to avoid
both destruction of the graft by the recipient's immune system and an attack by the donor's T cells on the recipients cells and
tissues (graft-versus-host disease). Research in this model has demonstrated long-term (over six years) survival of fully
mismatched donor kidney grafts in non-human primate models, grafts which supported the recipient animals' lives.
The work presented at Transplant 2000 builds on this model by demonstrating that an animal fully tolerant to a previous
mismatched kidney graft can accept pancreatic islet cells from the same primate donor more than 1,000 days following the
establishment of tolerance to the kidney. This work, along with other work being presented by BioTransplant and its
collaborators at Transplant 2000 may have eventual practical application in pig-to-human xenotransplantation using
BioTransplant proprietary technology. The research was supported by grants from both BioTransplant and the National
Institutes of Health.
Elliot Lebowitz, BioTransplant's president and CEO, said, ``This work has the potential to achieve the ultimate goal of
transplantation, long-term acceptance of foreign cell, tissue and organ grafts, without the toxicity associated with long-term use
of immunosuppressive drugs. BioTransplant is pleased that the research results reported today by our colleagues at the MGH
continue to support our commitment to commercialization of this technology.''
BioTransplant Incorporated utilizes its proprietary technologies to re-educate the body's immune responses to allow tolerance
of foreign cells, tissues and organs. Based on this technology, the Company is developing a portfolio of products for application
in a range of medical conditions, including organ and tissue transplantation, and treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases,
for which current therapies are inadequate. BioTransplant's products under development are intended to induce long-term
functional transplantation tolerance in humans, increase the therapeutic benefit of bone marrow transplants, and reduce or
eliminate the need for lifelong immunosuppressive therapy.
This announcement contains, in addition to historical information, certain forward-looking statements about BioTransplant that
involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain assumptions.
Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated as a result of a number of factors. Factors that could cause
future results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: BioTransplant's ability to
secure the substantial additional funding required for its operations and research and development programs; BioTransplant's
ability to successfully discover, develop and commercialize its products, obtain required regulatory approvals in a timely
fashion, and overcome other difficulties inherent in developing pharmaceuticals and procedures for organ transplantation;
BioTransplant's ability to obtain and enforce the patent protection required for its products; uncertainties to the extent of future
government regulation of the transplantation business; and BioTransplant's ability to maintain collaborations with third parties.
For a detailed discussion of these and other factors, see the section titled ``Business Factors Which May Affect Results'' in
BioTransplant's current annual report on Form 10-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contact: Elliot Lebowitz, Ph.D., President and CEO of BioTransplant Incorporated, 617-241-5200; or Patricia Dimond,
Ph.D., Investors, 212-696-4455, ext. 245, or Prateek Patnaik, Media, 212-696-4455, ext. 273, both of Noonan/Russo
Communications, for BioTransplant Incorporated; or Susan McGreevey of Massachusetts General Hospital, 617-724-2764.
SOURCE: BioTransplant Incorporated |
