Oxford Biomedica PLC
27 March 2001
For immediate release
2001/OB/09
27 March 2001
For further information, please contact:
Oxford BioMedica plc
Professor Alan Kingsman, Chief Executive Tel: +44 (0)1865 783 000
City/Financial Enquiries:
David Simonson/Melanie Toyne Sewell
Merlin Financial Communications Tel: +44 (0)20 7606 1244
Scientific/Trade Press Enquiries:
Chris Gardner, HCC De Facto Group Tel: +44 (0)20 7496 3300
OXFORD BIOMEDICA OBTAINS GENE THERAPY
PATENT IN THE USA
Oxford, England - 27 March 2001. Oxford BioMedica announced today that it had
received a Notice of Allowance from the US Patent Office for a patent covering
broad aspects of lentiviral vectors and their use in gene therapy, target
validation, and gene discovery.
This technology forms an important part of Oxford BioMedica's Lentivector(R)
intellectual property that is protected by a raft of patent and patent
applications. One of the aspects of this technology covers a novel genetic
switch which improves and/or regulates how specific genes are expressed in a
cell from a lentiviral vector. These vectors are particularly useful in Oxford
BioMedica's expanding neurobiology programmes.
Commenting on the news, Oxford BioMedica's Chief Executive, Professor Alan
Kingsman said:
'We are delighted that the US patent office has granted this patent. We
already have a substantial portfolio of patents in the area of gene therapy
vector design and use, since it is a key area of our technology and it is
important for us to protect the intellectual property of the Company. With
some of the proceeds from the recent fundraising, our intentions are to
continue to extend the intellectual property portfolio of the Company.'
-Ends-
Notes to Editors
1. Oxford BioMedica plc
Established in 1995, the Company specialises in the development and
application of gene-based therapeutics using advanced gene delivery
technologies for the treatment of disease in the areas of Oncology, Viral
Infection, Neurobiology and Genetic Deficiency. Oxford BioMedica plc was
floated on the UK Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock
Exchange in December 1996 and has recently announced its proposed move to
the Official List of the London Stock Exchange.
2. Lentivirus vector systems
In gene therapy, the aim is to deliver a gene and its necessary regulatory
elements (the gene construct) to the cell surface, using a vector to
mediate the transfer across the cell membrane and, in some cases, into the
nucleus. A new and potentially very powerful vector system is based on
lentiviruses, which have similar features to retroviruses in the ease of
manipulation, predictable integration and reliable gene expression and
regulation. However, their main advantage over retroviruses is the ability
to function in non-dividing cells or cells that are dividing slowly - a
feature of many clinically important tissues
3. Types of lentiviruses
Lentivirus vectors are constructed from two sources:
+ primate viruses e.g. human or simian immunodeficiency virus (HIV or
SIV)
+ non-primate viruses e.g. feline and bovine immunodeficiency viruses
(FIV and BIV), and one of the most simple, equine infective anaemia
virus (EIAV)
4. Worldwide web
This release is also available on the Worldwide Web at http://
www.oxfordbiomedica.co.uk
5. Section 57
N M Rothschild & Sons Limited, which is regulated in the UK by The
Securities and Futures Authority Limited, has approved the contents of
this document for the purposes of Section 57 of the Financial Services Act
1986.
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