AVI BioPharma Presents Positive Results With its Novel Antisense Drug For Prostate Cancer
Data Presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Meeting
PORTLAND, Ore. - July 15, 2003 - AVI BioPharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVII, AVIIW, AVIIZ), presented new preclinical data evaluating the effectiveness of AVI's Neugene® antisense drug for prostate cancer at the 94th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Washington, D.C.
The presentation, titled "A Novel MMP-9 Antisense Inhibitor Attenuates Tumor Growth and Angiogenesis in a Prostate Cancer Xenograft Model," describes a preclinical study that evaluated the effectiveness of AVI's Neugene antisense drug to inhibit expression of the matrix metalloproteinase 9 gene. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are associated with aggressive tumors, as they are involved in the process of tumor invasion and metastasis of human cancers.
The study, presented by AVI senior scientist Gayathri R. Devi, Ph.D., evaluated Neugene inhibition of MMP-9 in a human prostate cancer that was grown in a mouse model. Results from the study showed that the Neugene effectively inhibited MMP-9 gene expression, decreased tumor growth, and reduced the formation of new blood vessels associated with the tumor. Further, researchers observed no toxicity or mortality in mice treated with the MMP-9 targeted Neugene.
"The MMP-9 targeted Neugene offers surprising insights into the underlying tumor biology that leads to aggressive cancer behavior," said Patrick L. Iversen, Ph.D., senior vice president of research and development at AVI. "Further, these data add to our growing list of effective treatment strategies that have been tested in animal models of prostate cancer."
These studies were supported in part from grant support from the Department of Defense to AVI for the evaluation of MMP-9 inhibitors as anticancer agents.
About AVI BioPharma
AVI BioPharma develops therapeutic products for the treatment of life-threatening diseases using two technology platforms: third-generation Neugene antisense drugs and cancer immunotherapy. AVI's lead Neugene antisense compound is designed to target cardiovascular restenosis, cancer, polycystic kidney disease and other cell proliferation disorders. In addition to targeting specific genes in the body, AVI's antiviral program uses Neugene antisense compounds to target single-stranded RNA viruses, including West Nile virus, SARS coronavirus, calicivirus, and Hepatitis C. AVI's second technology, Avicine®, is a therapeutic cancer vaccine with late-stage trials planned for the treatment of pancreatic and colorectal cancer. More information about AVI is available on the company's Web site at http://www.avibio.com/.
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