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Biotech / Medical : Cell Genesys (CEGE) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: nigel bates who wrote (1140)	8/10/2001 3:02:25 PM
From: tuck	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1298

>>FOSTER CITY, Calif. and SAN DIEGO, Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Cell Genesys, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEGE - news) and Invitrogen Corporation (Nasdaq: IVGN - news) today announced that Cell Genesys' has exclusively licensed its proprietary lentiviral gene delivery technology to Invitrogen for commercialization in the research market. The licensing agreement makes Invitrogen the first and only company positioned to sell lentiviral vectors to the research community and will enable Invitrogen's customers to perform gene expression research and drug-target validation in non-dividing or slowly-dividing cell types. Under the agreement, Cell Genesys will receive royalties on worldwide sales of kits, products and services employing lentiviral vectors as well as a share of any sublicense payments. Invitrogen customers intending to market lentiviral vector-based gene therapy products or intending to use the vectors for commercial bioprocessing will need to obtain a license directly from Cell Genesys. ``The new license agreement with Invitrogen represents yet another example of how Cell Genesys can generate value from its broad base of gene therapy technology and intellectual property in areas outside of our business focus,'' stated Joseph J. Vallner, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief operating officer at Cell Genesys. ``Invitrogen's global presence ensures that our proprietary lentiviral gene delivery system will be available to academic and industrial researchers worldwide. This will not only enhance numerous basic research projects, but will also increase the opportunity for the development of gene therapy products employing this lentiviral vector technology.'' ``Through this exclusive licensing agreement with Cell Genesys, we are partnering with a recognized leader in gene therapy technology, and enabling our customers to utilize the premier system for delivering genes of interest to non-dividing or slowly-dividing cell types for their research and target validation applications,'' stated Lyle Turner, chairman and chief executive officer of Invitrogen. ``Coupling the lentiviral gene delivery technology with Invitrogen's proprietary Gateway(TM) technology will enable researchers to study their genes of interest in an expanded number of model cell types and organisms without the need for re-cloning. In addition to strengthening Invitrogen's molecular biology 'operating system,' the lentiviral gene delivery portfolio is strategically significant because Invitrogen can now provide exceptional tools to the broad market of researchers studying non-dividing cells types, such as neurons and macrophages, for which traditional gene delivery methods are inefficient.'' Gene therapy is a developing field that has the potential to cure, reverse, or stop the progression of disease by repairing genetic defects at the molecular level. In order for such molecular level repairs to be made, the therapeutic agent must be delivered to the inside of diseased cells. Modified viruses are commonly used as vectors because of their ability to deliver molecules to the interior of cells. Cell Genesys' lentiviral vectors, one of the company's four viral vector systems, have demonstrated safe, efficient and long-lasting gene transfer into a variety of human cells including both dividing and non-dividing cells such as nerve, liver, muscle and bone marrow stem cells. In addition, lentiviral vectors, which are more efficient at targeting non-dividing cells than traditional retroviral vectors, have a larger gene delivery capacity than certain other gene delivery vectors and can therefore be used to deliver a wider range of therapeutic genes. These features of lentiviral vectors will be useful in the development of the novel research tools and products envisioned by Invitrogen under the new license agreement. The agreement is consistent with Cell Genesys' strategy of licensing the company's vector technologies outside of Cell Genesys' business focus, and with Invitrogen's strategy of developing products based on licensing high-potential technologies from other organizations.<< snip Cheers, Tuck