ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc. Announces Collaboration With Archimedes Development Limited

August 26, 2009 |

5 min read

SCOTTSDALE, AZ--(Marketwire - August 26, 2009) - ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc. (“ImmuneRegen”), a wholly owned subsidiary of IR BioSciences Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: IRBS), today announced the execution of a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) with Archimedes Development Limited (“Archimedes”), of the UK, an initial step to enable the companies to investigate possible synergies between their technology platforms.

“Multiple studies in different model systems have shown that Homspera® can protect experimental animals and enhance their immune responses to vaccine-delivered antigens, DNA-encoded viral proteins or tumor antigens, as well as provide protection in our anthrax and influenza therapeutic studies,” said Hal Siegel, Ph.D., ImmuneRegen’s Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer. “In addition to these findings in animals where Homspera has been administered intranasally as a liquid, inhaled or injected under the skin, we have shown in laboratory studies that Homspera can stimulate blood-forming stem cells to produce more white blood cell precursors, particularly those for granulocytes and macrophages, mature blood cells which play a significant role in immune responses. The ability to administer Homspera intranasally is one we are particularly interested in pursuing. Mucosal vaccination may be more efficacious than injected vaccines for diseases like influenza, intestinal diseases and HIV/AIDS. At times, such as pandemic influenza treatment or vaccination, intranasal administration might be desirable.”

Alan Smith, Ph.D., Archimedes’ Vice President of Research & Development, commented: “We recognize the growing need to improve the efficacy of available antigens and to facilitate mass vaccination by means of innovative approaches such as mucosal administration. As a recognized leader in this field we are excited to be collaborating with ImmuneRegen to apply our world-leading expertise and technology platforms to the intranasal delivery of Homspera.”

About Archimedes Development Ltd.

Archimedes Development Limited (ADL) is a subsidiary of Archimedes Pharma, a fast growing pharmaceutical company focused on meeting the needs of specialist prescribers in Europe. ADL is focused on partnering with companies which have compounds which could benefit from its suite of world-class drug delivery technologies. These comprise two cutting edge intranasal delivery technologies ChiSys® and PecSys™ as well TARGIT®, which is designed to deliver drugs to precise regions of the large intestine. These technologies are able to optimise the profile of a wide range of therapeutic agents by allowing targeted or controlled release.

ADL’s drug delivery technologies have been validated in a series of partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. In the vaccine field, LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a licensee of ADL’s ChiSys® technology and ADL is the lead partner in the Nasal Pandemic Influenza Vaccine (NASPANVAC) project funded by the European Union under the FP7 scheme, which aims to develop an intranasally delivered vaccine against highly pathogenic strains of the influenza virus (H5N1 and other H5 and N7 subtypes) using the ChiSys® platform.

For more information on Archimedes, visit www.archimedespharma.com.

About ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc.

ImmuneRegen BioSciences Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of IR BioSciences Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: IRBS), is a development-stage biotechnology company focused on the research, development and licensing of Homspera® and its derivatives. Homspera is an adult stem cell active compound that in study results has been shown to regenerate and strengthen the immune system and enhance wound healing. Viprovex®, a derivative of Homspera, is being developed for potential use against infectious diseases as a stand-alone or combination therapy and as a vaccine adjuvant. To advance its mission, the Scottsdale, Arizona based company has forged numerous study partnerships with industry and academic leaders, including Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, HemoGenix, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute and Virion Systems. For more information, please visit www.immuneregen.com.

Statements about ImmuneRegen’s future expectations, including statements about the potential use and scientific results for ImmuneRegen’s drug candidates, science and technology, and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. ImmuneRegen intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created thereby. These future events may not occur as and when expected, if at all, and, together with ImmuneRegen’s business, are subject to various risks and uncertainties. ImmuneRegen’s actual results could differ materially from expected results as a result of a number of factors, including the uncertainties inherent in research and development collaborations, pre-clinical and clinical trials and product development programs (including, but not limited to the fact that future results or research and development efforts may prove less encouraging than current results or cause side effects not observed in current pre-clinical trials), the evaluation of potential opportunities, the level of corporate expenditures and monies available for further studies, capital market conditions, and others set forth in ImmuneRegen’s periodic report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2008 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There are no guarantees that any of ImmuneRegen’s proposed products will prove to be commercially successful. ImmuneRegen undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements.