LOS ANGELES, March 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CytRx Corporation today announced the publication of a scientific article that further supports the use of the proprietary RNA interference (RNAi) screening technology it has licensed in identifying and validating novel drug targets for the development of therapeutics to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes. The article reports that silencing of these drug targets in fat cells enhances glucose transport and insulin responsiveness, both of which are linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes. CytRx has exclusive rights to intellectual property covering these drug targets and the RNAi screening method used to identify them.
The article, "An RNA interference-based screen identifies MAP4K4/NIK as a negative regulator of PPAR-y, adipogenesis, and insulin-responsive hexose transport," was published in the February 14, 2006 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Michael P. Czech, PhD, professor and chair of the Program in Molecular Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), is the senior author of the article. CytRx is developing orally-active small molecule drug candidates against novel obesity and type 2 diabetes drug targets identified and validated by Dr. Czech and by CytRx's Worcester laboratory.
"The findings presented in this research article support our approach of using high throughput RNAi screens in metabolically important tissues to identify drug targets that serve as molecular starting points for developing obesity and type 2 diabetes therapeutic treatments," said Steven A. Kriegsman, President and CEO of CytRx. "Our work with Dr. Czech and our team of distinguished scientific advisors using this RNAi screening technology is accelerating the development of next generation medicines to treat these widespread metabolic diseases."
Dr. Czech, who also serves as Chairman of the CytRx Metabolic Scientific Advisory Board, added, "We are using high throughput RNAi screening coupled with vast gene profiling databases of human and animal metabolic tissues to identify and validate novel drug targets. We look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts with CytRx to advance these potential drug targets into the clinic."
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that worldwide more than 1 billion adults are overweight and at least 300 million of them are clinically obese. WHO cites overweight and obesity as major contributors to the growing incidence of chronic diet-related diseases and disabilities, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, obesity-related deaths rose 33% to an estimated 400,000 between 1990 and 2000. A recent Rand study found that by 2020, approximately one in five healthcare dollars spent on people aged 50 to 70 will be due to obesity-related disabilities, if the current trend of overeating and inactivity continues.
About CytRx Corporation
CytRx Corporation is a biopharmaceutical research and development company engaged in the development of high value human therapeutics. The Company owns three clinical-stage compounds based on its small molecule "molecular chaperone" co-induction technology (CCI), as well as a targeted library of 500 small molecule CCI analogs. CytRx has initiated a Phase II clinical trial with its lead CCI small molecule product candidate arimoclomol for the treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease). Arimoclomol has received Orphan Drug status and Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. CytRx has previously announced that a novel polyvalent HIV DNA + protein vaccine exclusively licensed to CytRx and developed by researchers at UMMS and Advanced BioScience Laboratories, and funded by the National Institutes of Health, demonstrated very promising interim Phase I clinical trial results that indicate its ability to produce potent antibody responses with neutralizing activity against multiple HIV viral strains. CytRx also has a broad-based strategic alliance with UMMS to develop novel compounds in the areas of ALS, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cytomegalovirus (CMV) using RNAi technology. The Company has a research program with Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University's teaching hospital, to use RNAi technology to develop a drug for the treatment of ALS. CytRx Drug Discovery division, located in Worcester, MA focuses on the use of RNAi technologies to develop small molecule and RNAi therapeutics to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes. For more information, visit CytRx's Web site at www.cytrx.com.
About the University of Massachusetts Medical School
The University of Massachusetts Medical School, one of the fastest growing academic health centers in the country, has built a reputation as a world-class research institution, consistently producing noteworthy advances in clinical and basic research. The Medical School attracts more than $174 million in research funding annually, 80% of which comes from federal funding sources. Research funding enables UMMS scientists to explore human disease from the molecular level to large-scale clinical trials. Basic and clinical research leads to new approaches for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. Visit www.umassmed.edu for additional information.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the expected timing, scope and results of our clinical development and research programs, including the initiation of clinical trials, and statements regarding the potential benefits of our drug candidates and potential drug candidates. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the events or results described in the forward-looking statements, including risks or uncertainties related to the early stage of CytRx's RNAi, diabetes, obesity, cytomegalovirus and ALS research, the need for future clinical testing of any RNAi-based product candidates and small molecules that may be developed by CytRx using RNAi screening methods, the significant time and expense that will be incurred in developing any of the potential commercial applications for CytRx's RNAi technology or small molecules, uncertainties related to regulatory approvals for clinical testing and the scope of the clinical testing that may be required by regulatory authorities for its molecular chaperone co-induction drug candidates, including arimoclomol, and other products, and the timing and outcomes of those tests, risks relating to the enforceability of any patents covering CytRx's products and to the possible infringement of third party patents by those products, and the impact of third party reimbursement policies on the use of and pricing for CytRx's products. Additional uncertainties and risks are described in CytRx's most recently filed SEC documents, such as its most recent annual report on Form 10-K, all quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and any current reports on Form 8-K filed since the date of the last Form 10-K. All forward-looking statements are based upon information available to CytRx on the date the statements are first published. CytRx undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward- looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
For Additional Information: CytRx Corporation: Ed Umali (eumali@cytrx.com) Director of Corporate Communications (310) 826-5648, ext. 309 CEOcast, Inc. Investor Contacts: Kevin Theiss (ktheiss@ceocast.com) Cormac Glynn (cglynn@ceocast.com) (212) 732-4300 UMass Medical School Michael Cohen (michael.cohen@umassmed.edu) (508) 856-2000
CytRx CorporationCONTACT: Ed Umali, Director of Corporate Communications of CytRxCorporation, +1-310-826-5648, ext. 309, eumali@cytrx.com; or investors,Kevin Theiss, ktheiss@ceocast.com, or Cormac Glynn, cglynn@ceocast.com,both of CEOcast, Inc., +1-212-732-4300, for CytRx Corporation; or MichaelCohen of UMass Medical School, +1-508-856-2000, michael.cohen@umassmed.edu
