New Class of CpG Molecule Generates More Powerful Human Cellular Immune Responses for Potential Cancer Treatment
http://finance.individual.com/display_news.asp?doc_id=PR20010706NEF001&page=news
Friday July 6 8:29am
WELLESLEY, Mass., and LANGENFELD,
Germany, July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Coley Pharmaceutical Group announced today
that company scientists and collaborators have identified a new class of
CpG molecule that induces a specific type of immune cell to produce high
levels of interferons. The paper, entitled "Identification of CpG oligonucleotide
sequences with high induction of IFN-a/b in plasmacytoid dendritic cells,"
appeared in the July 2001 issue of the European Journal of Immunology.
The interferons induced by this new
class of CpG oligonucleotides are also referred to as Type I interferons.
They are approved worldwide for the systemic treatment of certain cancers,
and for chronic hepatitis B and C therapy, as well as multiple sclerosis.
However, severe side effects associated with the therapeutic doses required
for treatment limit their use and the ability of patients to tolerate them.
Dr. Arthur Krieg, Coley's Chief Scientific
Officer, an author of the paper and a company founder, said, "Given the
severe side effects associated with therapeutic doses of recombinant Interferons,
today's findings suggest that this class of specific CpG oligonucleotides'
ability to generate a natural release of type I interferons and other immune
factors may provide a superior, less toxic mode of therapy in multiple
disease indications."
In these preclinical studies, the
novel oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN), designated CpG ODN 2216, specifically
stimulated plasmacytoid dendritic cells, an important type of immune cell
that responds to viral infections by releasing large amounts of Interferons
alpha and beta (IFN-a/b). These interferons, in turn, trigger a cascade
of antiviral defense mechanisms, including rapid activation of natural
killer (NK) cells and the generation of interferon gamma (IFN-g) - producing
T cells designated Th1 cells. These mechanisms may provide a patient with
increased ability to fight cancer and infectious diseases.
"Because the immune responses enhanced
by these new oligos provide an exciting way to stimulate the immune system
to attack tumor cells, we plan to bring them into the clinic within the
next year," said Robert Bratzler, Ph.D., Coley's President and Chief Executive
Officer. "Coley's ability to design oligonucleotides with highly specific
immune cell targets and that are also relatively nontoxic expands our product
base of novel therapeutics."
Coley scientists have previously
described CpG oligonucleotides that activate other types of immune cells,
especially human B cells and dendritic cells. ProMune (TM) oligonucleotide,
Coley's lead drug candidate, is an oligonucleotide that stimulates a wide
array of immune responses, and is under development for cancer treatment.
ProMune is currently in nine Phase I and Phase I/II clinical trials, including
trials for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, breast cancer, melanoma and basal cell
carcinoma.
The paper's authors include A. Krug,
S. Rothenfusser, V. Hornung, B. Jahrsdorfer, S. Endres and G. Hartmann
from the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology
at the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Dr. Zuhair Ballas of the
Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Department of Internal Medicine at
the University of Iowa, Iowa City, as well as Dr. Krieg from Coley Pharmaceutical
Group. Part of this work was supported by a grant from the German government
and Coley Pharmaceutical GmbH (BMB 03-12235-6).
About Coley Pharmaceutical Group
Coley Pharmaceutical Group is discovering,
developing, and commercializing a new class of drugs with broad applications
in cancer, asthma/allergy, and infectious disease. These proprietary products,
based on CpG molecules activate the human immune system to fight disease.
Coley currently has nine Phase I and Phase II clinical trials ongoing,
and has established a novel Human Cell Screening discovery platform for
the rapid validation of new product candidates. Coley's patent portfolio
includes 43 U.S. patent applications and their foreign counterparts, and
7 issued U.S. patents. Coley is a private company with headquarters in
the United States, and research and development operations in Germany and
Canada. For further information, please visit www.coleypharma.com.
Contact:
Sharon Karlsberg
or Wendy Soutsos
Michael
Sinclair or Fay Weston
Source: Coley Pharmaceutical Group
Source: PR Newswire
Patricia
F. Dimond, Ph.D.
VP, Corporate
Communications
Strategic
Development
Coley Pharmaceutical
Group
+1.781.718.3616
pdimond@coleypharma.com
Ogilvy
PR Worldwide (U.S.)
+1.617.577.0006
Sharon.karlsberg@ogilvypr.com
Burns McClellan
(Europe)
+44.0.20.7534.1520
Contact: Patricia F. Dimond, Ph.D.,
VP, Corporate Communications, Strategic Development of Coley Pharmaceutical
Group, 781-718-3616, pdimond@coleypharma.com; or Sharon Karlsberg, Sharon.karlsberg@ogilvypr.com,
or Wendy Soutsos of Ogilvy PR Worldwide (U.S.), 617-577-0006; or Michael
Sinclair or Fay Weston of Burns McClellan (Europe), 44.0.20.7534.1520