LOS ANGELES, April 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Immunomedics, Inc. , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer and other serious diseases, today presented at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research results on the in vitro and in vivo evaluation of a novel immunotoxin, Rap-hRS7, for the potential treatment of prostate and lung cancers.
The in vitro cytotoxicity of Rap-hRS7 on Calu-3 human lung and PC-3 human prostate cancers was 50- and 30-fold higher than free RNase, and 10- to 20- fold more potent than an irrelevant immunotoxin. When given as a single dose of 50-micrograms to mice bearing the Calu-3 human lung cancer cell line, Rap-hRS7 was able to almost double the median survival time (96 vs. 55 days) compared to the untreated group. Similar therapeutic efficacy was observed in animals given two 25-microgram doses one week apart.
Rap-hRS7 was constructed by fusing an amphibian RNase to hRS7, an internalizing humanized antibody targeting epithelial glycoprotein-1 (EGP-1), which is expressed in high amounts in certain human cancer cell lines such as PC-3 of prostate cancer, Calu-3 of non-small-cell lung cancer, and ME180 of cervical cancer, as well as similar patient tumor specimens.
“These encouraging results provide a rationale for the further development of Rap-hRS7 as a therapy for prostate, lung and other EGP-1 expressing cancers,” commented Cynthia L. Sullivan, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We plan to introduce this recombinant immunotoxin into the clinic for the therapy of prostate and lung cancers. In addition to Rap-hRS7, the hRS7 antibody provides us the opportunity to study the impact on prostate and lung cancers of a number of conjugated compounds,” Ms. Sullivan remarked.
About hRS7
hRS7 is a humanized monoclonal antibody proprietary to Immunomedics that targets epithelial glycoprotein-1 (EGP-1), which has higher expression in prostate, lung, breast, ovarian, and cervical cancers as compared to normal tissues. The antibody has also been shown to internalize into cancer cells, making it a suitable candidate for delivery of cytotoxic drugs. By conjugating the RNA-degrading enzyme, RNase, to the humanized antibody targeting EGP-1, scientists at Immunomedics have demonstrated selective killing of cancers expressing the EGP-1 biomarker, including prostate and lung cancers. Immunomedics has been granted patents and has many pending patents covering the construction and use of RNase-bearing antibodies for the therapy of cancer and other diseases.
About Immunomedics
Immunomedics is a New Jersey-based biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of monoclonal, antibody-based products for the targeted treatment of cancer, autoimmune and other serious diseases. We have developed a number of advanced proprietary technologies that allow us to create humanized antibodies that can be used either alone in unlabeled or “naked” form, or conjugated with radioactive isotopes, chemotherapeutics or toxins, in each case to create highly targeted agents. Using these technologies, we have built a pipeline of therapeutic product candidates that utilize several different mechanisms of action. We have recently licensed our lead product candidate, epratuzumab, to UCB, S.A. for the treatment of all autoimmune disease indications worldwide. We have retained the rights for epratuzumab in oncology indications for which UCB has been granted a buy-in option. UCB has development, manufacture and commercialization rights, and is responsible for all clinical trials evaluating epratuzumab for the treatment of patients with moderate and severe lupus. At present, there is no cure for lupus and no new lupus drug has been approved in the U.S. in the last 40 years. The Company is conducting clinical trials with hA20 in patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, epratuzumab as a potential therapeutic for patients with lymphoma and leukemia, (90)Y-epratuzumab for the therapy of patients with lymphoma, (90)Y-hPAM4 for pancreas cancer therapy and hCD74 as a therapy for patients with multiple myeloma. We believe that our portfolio of intellectual property, which includes approximately 108 patents issued in the United States, and more than 250 other issued patents worldwide, protects our product candidates and technologies. We also have a majority ownership in IBC Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which is developing a novel Dock and Lock (DNL) methodology, and a new method of delivering imaging and therapeutic agents selectively to disease, especially different solid cancers (colorectal, lung, pancreas, etc.), by proprietary, antibody-based, pretargeting methods. Visit our web site at http://www.immunomedics.com.
This release, in addition to historical information, may contain forward- looking statements made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements, including statements regarding clinical trials, out-licensing arrangements (including the timing and amount of contingent payments), forecasts of future operating results, and capital raising activities, involve significant risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied herein. Factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to, risks associated with new product development (including clinical trials outcome and regulatory requirements/actions), competitive risks to marketed products and availability of required financing and other sources of funds on acceptable terms, if at all, as well as the risks discussed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company is not under any obligation, and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation, to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
For More Information: Dr. Chau Cheng Associate Director, Investor Relations & Business Analysis (973) 605-8200, extension 123 ccheng@immunomedics.com
Immunomedics, Inc.
CONTACT: Dr. Chau Cheng, Associate Director, Investor Relations & BusinessAnalysis, of Immunomedics, Inc., +1-973-605-8200, ext. 123, orccheng@immunomedics.com
Web site: http://www.immunomedics.com/
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