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| VGX
Pharmaceuticals and DowpharmaSM Sign Research and Development Agreement
for VGX’s Lead Cancer Compound
- Pfenex Expression TechnologyTM Selected to
Accelerate Development Cycle
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Bell, PA – February 28, 2006 – |
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VGX Pharmaceuticals and DowpharmaSM contract
manufacturing services, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:
DOW), today announced they have signed a Research and Development Agreement
to advance the development of VGX-100, VGX’s novel cancer compound
in pre-clinical development. Under the terms of the agreement, Dowpharma
will perform a feasibility study for the expression of VGX-100, a VGX
proprietary protein, using Pfenex Expression Technology™,
a Pseudomonas-based technology from Dowpharma, utilizing multiple
Pseudomonas fluorescens strains. Pfenex Expression Technology
accelerates speed to market for vaccines and biotherapeutics by improving
quality, boosting yields of protein expression, and reducing the cost
of existing microbial systems.
VGX Pharmaceuticals has discovered that specific viral proteins can induce
selective apoptosis (programmed cell death) in rapidly dividing cancer
cells without affecting normal cells. Preclinical studies have found that
VGX-100, a recombinant Viral protein r (Vpr), induces tumor death through
apoptosis in a variety of established human tumor cells derived from the
breast, prostate, brain, and other sources. The initial clinical studies
will target individuals with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
“This is an important relationship for us as we continue to develop
VGX-100,” said J. Joseph Kim, Ph.D., President and CEO of VGX Pharmaceuticals.
“The signing of the agreement came at the perfect time in the development
cycle of this discovery. The feasibility studies will determine the extent
to which we can expedite the production of our protein from the laboratory
to production, so we can rapidly advance VGX-100 into the clinic.”
“Pfenex Expression Technology is proven to improve protein
production and consistently outperforms other microbial expression systems,”
said Nick Hyde, global business director, Dowpharma. “We look forward
to working with VGX to increase protein yields and expedite the development
of this promising compound.”
Dowpharma has an unmatched record in developing high-productivity strains
for the manufacture of numerous protein products for both clinical and
industrial applications. Pfenex Expression Technology is built
around specially modified strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens
bacteria that increase cellular expression of recombinant proteins and
peptides while maintaining critical solubility and activity characteristics.
Pfenex Expression Technology consistently outperforms other microbial
systems, often with yields five to ten times greater than the next best
expression alternative.
SM Service Mark of The Dow Chemical
Company
®™* Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow")
or an affiliated company of Dow
About Dowpharma
Dow is a diversified chemical company that harnesses the power of science
and technology to improve living daily. The Company offers a broad range
of innovative products and services to customers in more than 175 countries,
helping them to provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals
to paints, packaging and personal care products. Built on a commitment to
its principles of sustainability, Dow has annual sales of $46 billion and
employs 42,000 people worldwide. References to “Dow” or the
“Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated
subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow
can be found at www.dow.com.
About VGX Pharmaceuticals
VGX Pharmaceuticals is a leading biopharmaceutical company with strong product
candidates for the treatment of infectious diseases including HIV and hepatitis
C virus (HCV) as well as cancer and inflammatory diseases. The Company’s
clinical development programs include PICTOVIR™ for HIV infection
and VGX-410C for chronic HCV infection, which are currently in Phase II
clinical trials. In addition, a Phase I clinical trial will be initiated
in 2006 for the Company’s lead cancer drug compound, VGX-150 for the
treatment of Melanoma. Moreover, VGX Pharmaceuticals’ therapeutic
platform is designed to advance a strong and continual pipeline of additional
drug candidates into the clinic with VGX-100 for cancer therapy and VGX-1027
and VGX-750 for inflammatory diseases currently in development. The product
candidates and technology programs are protected by the Company’s
extensive global intellectual property portfolio. More information about
VGX can be found at www.vgxp.com.
For further information, please contact:
Dowpharma Contact:
Kathy Witz Sweeney
Tel 858.455.5500, x230
E-mail: kwitz@mentus.com
VGX Contact:
Kevin W. Rassas
Vice President
Tel 267.440.4208
Fax 267.440.4242
E-mail: Rassas@vgxp.com
www.vgxp.com
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