BALTIMORE and PHILADELPHIA, July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Lentigen Corporation announced today the signing of a collaborative research agreement (CRA) with the University of Pennsylvania. Under the terms of this agreement, Lentigen will be working with James Riley, Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine on the development of novel cancer therapies.
Research in Dr. Riley’s laboratory, which is located within the Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, focuses on costimulatory pathways that control human T cell activation and differentiation. One major project focuses on signal transduction pathways initiated by members of the CD28 family (CD28, ICOS, CTLA-4, PD-1 and BTLA). These receptors, despite their structural similarity, play distinct roles in modulating the immune system.
Initial indications of this CRA will focus on how to use the knowledge of T cell signaling pathways to design novel cancer therapeutics and broaden to other indications over time. The collaboration will utilize Dr. Riley’s scientific expertise and Lentigen’s scientific and marketing expertise. Lentigen will be granted exclusive rights to commercialize resulting products. No financial terms of the agreement were disclosed.
Dr. Boro Dropulic, Founder and CEO of Lentigen, commented, “This collaborative research agreement with the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Riley’s laboratory will allow for potential commercialization of products developed by U Penn’s School of Medicine. We are fortunate to have such a strong relationship with Dr. Riley and the research being done at the University of Pennsylvania in the area of gene therapy.”
“This collaboration will permit the large-scale experiments that are required to move an idea from the bench to the bedside,” said Dr. Riley, an Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Penn. “We are excited to work with Dr. Dropulic and his lentiviral technology.”
About Lentiviral Vectors
Lentiviral vectors (LV) are vehicles that can deliver genes or RNAi into cells with up to 100% efficiency and stability. By comparison, other viral vector systems such as non-viral, adenoviral and adeno-associated viral vectors have not been shown to achieve both high and stable gene delivery in dividing cells.
Gene delivery is accomplished by the binding and fusing of the LV pseudotyped envelope protein to the target cell membrane. The LV RNA containing the gene or gene silencing sequence is then incorporated into the cell via reverse transcription creating a DNA complex. This complex enters the nucleus incorporating into the chromosomal DNA creating a stable molecule. The gene sequence is integrated in the chromosome and is copied along with the DNA during ongoing cell division.
About Lentigen Corporation
Lentigen Corporation is a privately owned biotechnology company focused on the manufacturing and development of lentiviral vectors using its proprietary gene delivery technology for a wide range of applications in biotechnology and medicine. Lentiviral vectors are highly adapted delivery vehicles that can transport genes or gene silencing sequences into cells with high efficiency and stability. Lentigen is positioning itself to become the leading provider of Lentiviral vector products and services for academic, government, biotechnology and pharmaceutical researchers. For further information, visit http://www.Lentigen.com.
Lentigen Corporation
CONTACT: Greg Feulner, VP Business Development of Lentigen Corporation,+1-443-543-5318, greg.feulner@lentigen.com; or Media Contact - GregoryTiberend of Richard Lewis Communications, Inc., +1-212-827-0020,gtiberend@rlcinc.com; or Investor Contact - Tara Spiess of TSCommunications Group, LLC, +1-914-921-5900, spiess@biotechirpr.com
Web site: http://www.Lentigen.com/
