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Biotech / Medical : Guilford (GLFD) - Steadily Rising -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ken carney who wrote (137)	10/29/1997 12:59:00 AM
From: kathleen	Respond to of 496

eurekalert.org Maybe this announcement had something to do with Guilford's failure to rebound. Also Vertex made an announcement today about their neurophillin drug.

To: ken carney who wrote (137)	10/29/1997 1:05:00 AM
From: Vector1	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 496

Wonder if this announcement had any effect: -- Vertex Neurophilin Compound Accelerates Nerve Regeneration in Rodent Models of Central and Peripheral Nerve Injury Report at the Society for Neuroscience 27th Annual Meeting CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq:VRTX) today announced that an orally administerable neurophilin compound, VA-10,367, accelerates functional recovery and nerve regeneration in rodent models of spinal cord and peripheral nerve injury. VA-10,367 is a representative compound from a bank of compounds designed by Vertex. Researchers collaborating with Vertex reported these data this week at the Society for Neuroscience 27th Annual Meeting being held in New Orleans, Louisiana. ''The data reported today builds upon previous research with Vertex compounds, and highlights the potential of these compounds to regenerate nerves and restore functional activity,'' said Dr. Vicki L. Sato, Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Vertex. ''This early data is certainly encouraging and supports the evaluation of our neurophilin compounds as easily administered, long term therapy for a variety of neurological diseases. We are testing neurophilin compounds in additional animal models of nerve injury with the goal of selecting a compound for development.'' Dr. Joseph R. Madsen, Department of Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, presented the results obtained with VA-10,367 in the spinal cord injury model. The rats receiving VA-10,367 for two days post injury showed enhanced functional recovery based on three standard neurological assessment measures as compared to control animals. There was also biochemical evidence that VA-10,367 enhances the recovery of function after spinal cord injury through effects on neuronal regeneration. These are the first results showing that non-immunosuppressive neurophilin compounds have the potential to regenerate nerves and restore functional activity in a model of spinal cord injury. Dr. Bruce Gold, Associate Professor, Center for Research on Occupational & Environmental Toxicology, Department of Cell and Development Biology of the Oregon Health Sciences University, presented results obtained with VA-10,367 in a peripheral nerve injury model. Dr. Gold extended data previously reported on the peripheral injury model by demonstrating efficacy of VA-10,367 after oral dosing. In this model, controlled injury to the sciatic nerve, which extends from the hip through the leg, rendered the rat unable to walk. Vertex's compound achieved excellent exposure following oral administration, displayed high oral bioavailability and accelerated the onset of foot movement and walking when compared to control animals. Microscopic analysis of nerves from the injured rats demonstrated that VA-10,367 enhanced the regeneration of injured nerves leading to recovery of function. The goal of Vertex's neurophilins program is to design and develop oral agents for the treatment of central and peripheral neuropathies including nerve injury resulting from trauma or stroke and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Vertex has been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office five patents containing claims related to the Company's neurophilins compounds. Additional patent applications are pending in the United States and in other countries worldwide. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated is engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of novel, small molecule pharmaceuticals for the treatment of diseases for which there are currently limited or no effective treatments. The Company is a leader in the use of structure-based drug design, an approach to drug discovery that integrates advanced biology, biophysics and chemistry. The Company is concentrating on the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of viral diseases, multidrug resistance in cancer, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases. There can be no assurance that the compounds in research by the Company will be successfully developed into compounds for preclinical testing, that clinical trials with compounds will commence or compounds will receive marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other authorities, or that drugs, if any, which receive such approval will be marketed successfully. Investors are also directed to consider other risks and uncertainties discussed in documents filed by the Company with Securities and Exchange Commission. SOURCE Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated