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To: nigel bates who wrote (2044)	9/27/2002 3:23:36 PM
From: Ian@SI	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7143

Interesting abstract in the Daily Scan at WSJ on Proteins... Referenced story is less informative: sciencedaily.com I had to use its search engine to pull up the story by sticking in the keyword PROTEIN. IE wouldn't load anything Whereas Netscape let me use the search engine for the site. The original news release is at: rpi.edu WSJ Abstract: Decoding the Proteins Language Amino acids that compose the body's protein molecules are synonymous with letters of the alphabet. Clusters of these acids are equivalent to words, and the end result is that individual proteins are like sentences in a chemical-based language. And like spoken languages, the language of proteins has its own grammatical rules. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are creating a database of these rules that should help more quickly decode the thousands of proteins that exist within humans, according to a release from the school.

To: nigel bates who wrote (2044)	11/19/2002 11:17:33 AM
From: nigel bates	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7143

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Hybridon, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: HYBN.OB - News) announced today the publication of a new report describing the enhanced immunomodulatory activity of CpG DNA molecules linked through their 3' ends (immunomers), as demonstrated in cell culture and murine models. The report, published in the October, 2002 issue of Nucleic Acids Research, provides insights into designing potent immunomodulatory oligonucleotides (IMO(TM)) for specific immunotherapeutic applications. Hybridon recently described in other publications that linking CpG DNA through the 5' end abrogates immunostimulatory activity, and that adding alkyl-linkers in substitution of certain nucleotides in the 5' flanking region -- but not the 3' flanking region -- increases immunostimulatory activity, also as demonstrated in cell culture or murine models. The data presented in the new publication further confirms the previously reported data and begins to elucidate the molecular basis for CpG DNA recognition by receptors that results in immune stimulation. This data also highlights the sequence and structural changes in CpG DNA that may potentiate or neutralize immunostimulatory activities in a predictable fashion. "We continue to add building blocks to our understanding of the structure/activity relationship and the design of our proprietary immunomodulatory oligonucleotides," said Sudhir Agrawal, Hybridon's Chief Scientific Officer. "We believe that this knowledge will allow us to design and develop potent molecules with specific immune responses for the treatment of a broad range of disease conditions." "This new publication underscores the leading edge work in the field of immunostimulation currently underway in Hybridon's labs," stated Stephen R. Seiler, Hybridon's Chief Executive Officer. "As more data is presented by the scientific community validating the ability of CpG DNA molecules to stimulate the immune system, Hybridon intends to remain in the forefront of understanding the mechanism of action and designing proprietary compounds that harness the full power of immunomodulation. By combining our understanding with a strong intellectual property estate, we believe Hybridon will be the preferred partner in this field." The publication, entitled "'Immunomers' -- novel 3' - 3' -- linked CpG oligodeoxyribonucleotides as potent immunomodulatory agents," reports that, in cell cultures and murine models, CpG DNA molecules, when linked through their 3' ends, showed enhanced activity as compared to the parent linear molecule in mouse cell cultures. The publication also reports loss of activity when such DNA molecules are linked via their 5' ends over CpG DNA molecules, suggesting that the presence of accessible 5' ends is necessary to activate the relevant signaling pathways. The study further demonstrates that the differences in immunostimulatory activity of 3' - 3' - and 5' - 5' - linked CpG DNAs do not arise from differences in nuclease stability or their cellular uptake, but from the accessibility of their 5' end(s) for receptor recognition and/or binding. The studies also examined the optimal length of immunomers, and the use of parallel synthesis as a viable manufacturing method. The use of parallel synthesis resulted in higher yields of the immunomer products with improved purity. About Hybridon Hybridon, Inc. is a leader in the discovery and development of novel therapeutics and diagnostics, based on synthetic DNA. The Company now has four technology platforms: 1) Synthetic immunomodulatory oligonucleotide (IMO(TM)) motifs that act to modulate responses of the immune system; 2) Antisense technology which uses synthetic DNA to block the production of disease-causing proteins at the cellular level; 3) Synthetic DNA drug candidates that enhance the antitumor activity of certain marketed anticancer drugs, thereby increasing their effectiveness; and 4) Cyclicon(TM) probes, novel synthetic DNA structures for identifying gene function, which can be used for target validation and drug discovery as well as for PCR-based gene amplification.