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Biotech / Medical : Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: scaram(o)uche who wrote (429)	6/20/2000 12:16:00 AM
From: Miljenko Zuanic	Respond to of 1169

Last to rally in Feb/Mar frenzy period, first to tumble in March (after convertible), first (with MEDI) to reach all time high. Interesting! [eom] Miljenko

To: scaram(o)uche who wrote (429)	7/18/2000 7:41:01 PM
From: scaram(o)uche	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1169

Interesting...... these gals/guys tried to go public four or five years ago. Didn't know that they were still around..... Tuesday July 18, 5:54 pm Eastern Time Company Press Release SOURCE: Immusol, Inc. Immusol Identifies for the First Time Human Cellular Genes Required For Hepatitis C Virus Protein Synthesis: Proprietary Technology Leads to Potential Therapeutic Targets for Hepatitis C SAN DIEGO, July 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Immusol, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company today announced that it has used its proprietary inverse genomics technology to discover two unique potential drug target genes for Hepatitis C. The two human cellular genes, called eukaryotic initiation factors 2 gamma and 2B gamma, are essential for the synthesis of viral proteins, but not essential for the synthesis of normal cellular proteins. Since viral proteins are essential for the growth of the virus, drugs that target these genes may selectively inhibit the viral infection process, without hurting the patient. The research is described in the July 18 issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). ``This is a promising discovery for potential antiviral drug development,'' stated Dr. Jake Liang, chief of the Liver Diseases Unit at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). ``The authors convincingly demonstrate the potential requirement of these genes for HCV protein synthesis using their in vitro experimental model system.'' ``We believe this discovery will enable the development of a new generation of highly-effective Hepatitis C viral therapeutics, those that target human cellular genes instead of viral genes,'' noted Dr. Flossie Wong-Staal, Professor at the University of California, San Diego and senior author of the paper. ``We expect that anti-viral drugs targeting human cellular genes will hinder the emergence of drug-resistant viruses, a common shortcoming of drugs that target viral genes.'' Dr. Wong-Staal is on leave of absence from the University to direct the genomics program at Immusol. Inverse genomics uses a library of randomized, hairpin-shaped ribozymes to enhance its ability to sift through the entire human genome and rapidly isolate those genes that are potentially useful as drug targets. This approach addresses the problem of drug target identification from the opposite direction of traditional discovery programs. Researchers at Immusol start with a biological feature with therapeutic potential and work backward, identifying only those genes that are potentially viable therapeutic targets. Conventional approaches start with the entire human genome and attempt to narrow it down to those genes that control a biological feature with therapeutic potential. ``Inverse genomics is a powerful technology that will take full advantage of the information explosion of the Human Genome Revolution,'' said Jack Barber, Ph.D., Immusol's vice president of research and development. ``The present discovery is yet another confirmation of the power of this novel technology.'' Immusol's mission is to generate and develop therapeutic entities, and to establish collaborations for discovering and validating gene-based drug targets. Other inverse genomics programs at Immusol focus on identifying therapeutic genes for other diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease and obesity. Immusol also applies its ribozyme gene technology to selectively inactivate candidate drug target genes that have been identified by the more traditional approaches to drug target gene discovery used by pharmaceutical companies. By providing rapid and specific analysis of gene function in vivo, this ``Target Validation'' technology determines the potential of a specific gene as a therapeutic target. The tools for target validation offer advantages to Immusol's corporate partners of high-speed and functional confirmation of drug target genes to enhance drug discovery. SOURCE: Immusol, Inc.