Monday June 19, 3:00 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Cytogen Corporation
Cytogen's AxCell Biosciences Achieves Initial Proteomics Automation
ZURICH, Switzerland, June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- AxCell Biosciences Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cytogen Corporation (Nasdaq: CYTO - news), today announced that it had completed the first stage of its proteomics automation. Over the next month, AxCell plans to measure 135,000 protein interactions, with the expectation that the rate would increase to 200,000 per month by mid-summer. The Company also noted that it plans to complete the analysis of two to three protein domain families by the end of the year. The announcements were made this morning at the BioSpan Europe 2000 conference at the SWX Swiss Exchange here.
An important function of proteins is to facilitate cellular communication. Within the cytoplasm of the cell, proteins interact with one another in complex pathways that signal cells to secrete hormones, fire nerve signals, multiply, die, or destroy invading pathogens. Aberrations in the intracellular interactions of proteins with one other are at the heart of the molecular basis for many diseases, such as forms of cancer and diabetes.
``Pathways of protein-protein interactions control cellular function, and defects in these pathways can lead to disease,'' John D. Rodwell, Ph.D., AxCell's acting President and Chief Technical Officer, explained to the gathering of European biotechnology investors. ``Proteins interact by 'physically mating' with each other -- and thereby passing signals on to the next protein in the pathway. Of the approximately one million different proteins in humans, about 300,000 are believed to be involved in intracellular signaling pathways. Examining how all 300,000 signaling proteins might interact with one another would involve measuring some 90 billion interactions -- a Herculean labor. AxCell has found a way to simplify this task.''
``The structures by which proteins 'mate' or interact are called domains and ligands,'' Dr. Rodwell continued. ``Domains are portions of proteins that can accept the smaller ligand within their structure and bind to it. Once you know which domains will interact with which ligands, you can develop rules of interaction for any proteins containing those interactive parts. Domains having similar structures have been classified into families, and given surnames such as WW, PDZ and SH3. We believe that elucidating how these domain families interact with sets of ligands is the shortcut to understanding how proteins interact within cells. Once you have identified protein signaling pathways involved in normal or diseased processes, it is possible to select novel targets for drug intervention within those pathways.''
``There are approximately 140 domain families in the human proteome, and we estimate 30 to 60 families are involved in signaling pathways,'' Dr. Rodwell stated. ``Despite their importance in understanding cellular function, no domain family has ever been fully characterized. So far, we have seen that the number of domain family members can vary from less than 100 to greater than 200. AxCell's high throughput technology is beginning to prove itself, and we believe that we can completely chart human protein signaling interactions in two to four years. By completing the measurement of the first one million interactions -- including charting two to three domain families -- this year, we believe that our database will have reached a sufficient critical mass for marketing in early 2001. We believe that the WW domain will be the first family that we will fully characterize.''
AxCell Biosciences Corporation is conducting research and development in functional proteomics, the identification of protein interactions and signaling pathways within cells and their relationship to disease processes. Proteomics research efforts can be categorized as structural and functional. Structural proteomics, or protein expression, measures the number and types of proteins present in normal and diseased cells. This approach is useful in defining the structure of proteins in a cell. Some of these proteins may be targets for drug discovery. However, the role of the protein in the disease is still not defined. AxCell's proteomics business is focused upon functional proteomics, the study of proteins' biological activities. Protein-protein interactions form the core of the Company's Inter-functional Proteomic Database(TM) (IFP). AxCell plans to offer the IFP Database to the pharmaceutical industry as a tool to accelerate the drug discovery process. For additional information on AxCell Biosciences, visit axcellbio.com .
Cytogen Corporation is an established biopharmaceutical company in Princeton, NJ, with two principal lines of business, proteomics and oncology. The Company is extending its expertise in antibodies and molecular recognition to the development of new products and a proteomics-driven drug discovery platform. The Company has established a pipeline of product candidates based on its proprietary antibody and prostate specific membrane antigen, or PSMA. The Company, with Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has formed a joint venture focusing on the development of cancer immunotherapies based on PSMA technology. The Company's cancer management franchise currently comprises three marketed FDA-approved products: ProstaScint©, used to image the extent and spread of prostate cancer; OncoScint CR/OV©, a diagnostic imaging agent for colorectal and ovarian cancer; and Quadramet©, for the relief of cancer-related bone pain. The Company's wholly owned subsidiary, AxCell Biosciences Corporation, is developing a proprietary protein pathway database as a drug discovery and development tool for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. For additional information on Cytogen, visit cytogen.com .
This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in Cytogen's Form 10-K Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 1999, the ability of the Company to develop and maintain high throughput proteomics technology, and the successful development and market acceptance of its proteomic database. In particular, we cannot assure you that the protein interaction program will result in the commercialization of a successful product. We undertake no duty to update these statements.
SOURCE: Cytogen Corporation |
