LOS ANGELES, Feb. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CytRx Corporation today announced that Sabina Semiz, Ph.D., CytRx's principal investigator of target biology, presented CytRx's recently-developed strategy employing RNA-based silencing (siRNA) to validate novel drug targets for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes at the 35th Annual New England Pharmacology Meeting on Friday, February 10, 2006.
"We have optimized highly-efficient methods of introducing siRNA in skeletal muscle and liver cells that allow us to deplete certain proteins in those cells," said Dr. Semiz. "Importantly, we are utilizing siRNA in muscle, liver and adipose cells to identify and validate novel components that function in insulin signaling and other metabolic pathways."
Silencing gene expression by RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool for gene functional analysis in various organisms. However, penetration of the siRNA into cells still constitutes the most serious limitation in the application of this technique, particularly in certain cell lines. RNAi can be efficiently employed in mammalian cells using exogenously delivered siRNA only when the correct method and combination of delivery conditions are established for the specific cell type.
Steven A. Kriegsman, President and CEO of CytRx, said, "Dr. Semiz's invitation to present at this highly respected conference reflects growing interest from the scientific community in our groundbreaking RNAi drug-targeting platform. Obesity and type 2 diabetes afflict hundreds of millions of people, and our RNAi-based programs could hold keys to unraveling the molecular mechanisms that lead to possible treatments."
The New England Pharmacologists Meeting, held in Waltham, Massachusetts, represents a regional chapter of the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).
About CytRx Corporation
CytRx Corporation is a biopharmaceutical research and development company engaged in the development of products. The Company owns three clinical-stage compounds based on its small molecule "molecular chaperone" co-induction technology, as well as a targeted library of 500 small molecule drug candidates that may be used to screen for new drug candidates. CytRx has initiated a Phase II clinical trial with its lead small molecule product candidate arimoclomol for the treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease). Arimoclomol has received Orphan Drug and Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. CytRx has previously announced that a novel 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. For more information, visit CytRx's Web site at www.cytrx.com.
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 CytRx's ability to obtain capital to fund its working capital needs for its RNAi development activities, 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, 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: CEOcast, Inc. Ed Umali (eumali@cytrx.com) Investor Contacts: Director of Corporate Communications Kevin Theiss (ktheiss@ceocast.com) (310) 826-5648, ext. 309 Cormac Glynn (cglynn@ceocast.com) (212) 732-4300
CytRx CorporationCONTACT: Ed Umali, Director of Corporate Communications of CytRxCorporation, +1-310-826-5648, ext. 309, eumali@cytrx.com; or InvestorContacts, Kevin Theiss, ktheiss@ceocast.com, or Cormac Glynn,cglynn@ceocast.com, both of CEOcast, Inc., +1-212-732-4300, for CytRxCorporation
Web site: http://www.cytrx.com//
