EMERYVILLE, Calif., Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bionovo, Inc. has been selected as a featured presenter at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Pharmacognosy, being held Saturday through Wednesday, Aug. 5-9, 2006, at Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. On Sunday evening, Aug. 6, Scott Baggett, Ph.D., a member of Bionovo’s premier chemistry team, will present the positive results of a study showing the potential benefits of selective estrogen receptor (ER) beta compounds as safer treatments for menopausal symptoms.
Dr. Baggett’s poster presentation, entitled “Anthraquinones from rheum palmatum displaying estrogen activity,” involved the isolation of selective ER beta compounds from Rheum palmatum, one of the botanical agents in the Company’s lead drug candidate, MF101. The research was supported by a grant from the University of California, San Francisco and the National Institutes of Health.
The positive results of the study showed that the substances -- the “anthraquinones” -- isolated from Rheum palmatum offer ER beta selective activity but do not increase the risk of breast cancer tumor formation or in-vivo uterine proliferation.
Rick Staub, Ph.D., the Director of Chemistry at Bionovo states, “The discovery of the isomers from Rheum palmatum and the findings that these compounds have selective estrogen receptor beta activity proves the capabilities of Bionovo’s medicinal chemistry approach that is coupled with cutting edge, physiologically relevant, biological assays.”
This study has confirmed prior Bionovo studies indicating the potential benefits of selective ER beta compounds as a safer treatment for menopausal symptoms.
About the American Society of Pharmacognosy
The Annual Meeting is the yearly event of the American Society of Pharmacognosy, which was founded in 1959 as an outgrowth of the Plant Science Seminar. The Society represents more than 1,000 researchers, scientists and others worldwide who are dedicated to the promotion and development of Pharmacognosy and to all aspects of those sciences that involve natural products.
About MF101
MF101, an ER-beta selective agonist, is designed for the treatment of vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats in postmenopausal women. In animal studies, MF101 has been shown to prevent tumor formation in the breast or uterus, suggesting that Bionovo’s lead drug will not increase the risk of either breast or uterine cancer. In Phase 1 clinical testing of MF101, the drug was found to be safe, well tolerated and taken with high compliance. A multi-center, Phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial of MF101 is currently underway at 6 academic centers throughout the United States. To date, a total of 101 postmenopausal women have been randomized to the Phase 2 trial and planned trial accrual is 180 randomized participants.
About Bionovo, Inc.
Bionovo is a drug development company focusing on the discovery of novel pharmaceutical agents for cancer and women’s health. The company has one drug in Phase 2 clinical testing to treat conditions associated with menopause and a second drug, BZL101, for breast cancer, that will enter Phase 2 clinical testing later this year. The company is developing its products in close collaboration with leading U.S. academic research centers, including the University of California, San Francisco, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Texas, Southwestern. For further information please visit: http://www.bionovo.com.
Bionovo, Inc.
CONTACT: Jim Stapleton of Bionovo, Inc., +1-510-601-2000; or Investor,Damian McIntosh, or Media, Janet Vasquez, both of The Investor RelationsGroup, +1-212-825-3210, for Bionovo, Inc.
Web site: http://www.bionovo.com/
