VANCOUVER, May 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Chemokine Therapeutics Corp. (the Company) , a biotechnology company developing chemokine-based therapies to treat cancer, blood disorders, and cardiovascular diseases, today announced the publication of an article in the journal Nature Medicine, authored by clinical advisory board member and collaborator, Dr. Shahin Rafii of the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and co-authored by Dr. Hassan Salari, President and CEO of Chemokine Therapeutics.
"More than 200,000 individuals undergo various costly treatments for diseases associated with abnormal vascularization, such as Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Vascularization is a process believed to involve local production of a group of growth factors, cytokines and chemokines. An excess amount of these growth factors leads to abnormal growth of endothelial cells which form new blood vessels. In the article, the team concludes that in the limb ischemia revascularization model, the chemokine SDF-1 is a hub for most growth factors and, without it, there is reduced revascularization, even if other growth factors are present. The discoveries point to the need for the development of SDF-1 inhibitors as a mean to stop unwanted vascularization of tissues and organs. SDF-1 inhibitors may have even greater potential than currently used anti-cytokine/growth factor therapies," stated Dr. Hassan Salari, President and CEO.
The discoveries were made possible in part through the use of a novel SDF-1 antagonist, CTCE-0012 produced by Chemokine Therapeutics. In the Nature Medicine publication, it was shown that CTCE-0012 is as powerful as antibodies to CXCR4, however with the benefits of being a most closely homolog of natural SDF-1 protein which might be used chronically. CTCE-0012 is a powerful inhibitor of SDF-1 and prevents revascularizarion of tissues, leading to a lower number of new blood vessels. This discovery leads the way to the development of CTCE-0012 for diseases that are initiated through excess vascularization, such as Macular Degeneration, etc.
The article, entitled "Cytokine-mediated deployment of SDF-1 induces revascularization through recruitment of CXCR4+ hemangiocytes" (Nature Medicine 12(5):557-567. May 2006), may be accessed by clicking on http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v12/n5/abs/nm1400.html;jsessionid= 37167F3434B1A73CBA004FFE6FE21CE3, or by visiting Chemokine's website: www.chemokine.net/publications.htm.
"Chemokine Therapeutics has a prolific drug discovery program that has designed over ten new drug candidates, of which two are currently in human clinical trials (CTCE-9908, an anti cancer drug in Phase Ib/II, and CTCE-0214, an immune cell booster in Phase I). Our Company is adding shareholder value by not only having products in advanced stages of clinical trials, but also through its pipeline of new products with tremendous market potential," continued Salari. "Further, the findings from this study are encouraging, as they further strengthen our rational design platform technologies for discovering new analogs of chemokines with potential to act either as agonists or antagonists."
About Chemokine Therapeutics Corp.
Chemokine Therapeutics is a product-focused biotechnology company developing drugs in the field of chemokines. Chemokines are a class of signaling proteins which play a critical role in the growth, differentiation and maturation of cells necessary for fighting infection, and stem cells as well as tissue repair and regeneration. Chemokine Therapeutics is a leader in research in the field of chemokines and has several products in various stages of development. For more information, please visit the website at www.chemokine.net.
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For further information contact: Elite Financial Communications Group ------------------------------------ Chemokine Investor Relations Dodi Handy President & CEO Phone: (407) 585-1080 E-mail: chkt@efcg.net
Chemokine Therapeutics Corp.CONTACT: Elite Financial Communications Group, Chemokine InvestorRelations, Dodi Handy, President & CEO, Phone: (407) 585-1080, E-mail:chkt@efcg.net