SAN DIEGO, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lpath, Inc. , the category leader in therapeutic agents against bioactive lipids, today announced the issuance of U.S. patent no. 7,169,390 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patent is entitled, "Compositions and Methods for the Treatment and Prevention of Cancer, Angiogenesis, and Inflammation," and broadly relates to methods of treating cancer using Sphingomab(TM), Lpath's breakthrough anti-cancer drug candidate.
"This broad patent helps to secure Lpath's proprietary position with regard to Sphingomab and other S1P-binding agents for the treatment of cancer," said Dr. Roger A. Sabbadini, the founder and chief scientific officer of Lpath, and the listed inventor in the patent. "This also represents a major milestone in our efforts to develop this powerful drug candidate for the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases."
Sphingomab is a monoclonal antibody against sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), an important bioactive lipid that has been well-validated as a cancer drug target. Findings that demonstrate the profound anti-cancer effects of Sphingomab were published in the March 2006 edition of the prestigious journal, Cancer Cell.
(See:
http://www.cancercell.org/content/article/fulltext?uid=PIIS1535610806000602).
The murine (mouse-based) form of Sphingomab was the first antibody created using Lpath's proprietary ImmuneY2(TM) technology. Sphingomab has recently been "humanized" and is in pre-clinical development. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve a "humanized" version of Sphingomab for a Phase 1 human clinical trial by the end of the 2007.
About Lpath
Lpath, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, California, is the category leader in lipidomic-based therapeutics, an emerging field of medical science whereby bioactive signaling lipids are targeted for treating important human diseases Lpath's lead product candidate, Sphingomab(TM), is a monoclonal antibody against a validated cancer target, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), and has demonstrated compelling results in preclinical studies against multiple forms of cancers, against AMD, and against heart failure. Sphingomab is potently anti-angiogenic, yet it has other mechanisms of action that may prove advantageous in the clinical setting. As such, Lpath believes Sphingomab may represent the next generation of anti-angiogenesis-based therapeutics.
Lpath's second product candidate, Lpathomab(TM), is a monoclonal antibody against lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a key bioactive lipid that has been long recognized as a significant promoter of cancer-cell growth and metastasis in a broad range of tumor types.
Lpath's unique ability to generate antibodies against bioactive lipids is based on its patented ImmuneY2(TM) technology. The company intends to apply the ImmuneY2 process to other important lipid-signaling agents, thereby providing a robust pipeline of antibody-based drug candidates.
Lpath has approximately 61 domestic and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications that concern compounds and methods that interfere with the actions of bioactive lipids involved in human disease. These compounds, including antibodies and their derivatives that specifically bind to sphingolipids and sphingolipid metabolites, are expected to find use in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases and disorders, including cardiovascular/cerebrovascular diseases and cancer. The company believes that its patent estate will provide broad, commercially significant coverage of such compounds and their uses for diagnostic, therapeutic, or discovery purposes.
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for statements of historical fact, the matters discussed in this press release are forward looking and reflect numerous assumptions and involve a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control and may cause actual results to differ materially from stated expectations. For example, there can be no assurance that required clinical trials will be successful, necessary regulatory approvals will be obtained, or the proposed treatments will prove to be safe or effective. Actual results may also differ substantially from those described in or contemplated by this press release due to risks and uncertainties that exist in our operations and business environment, including, without limitation, our limited experience in the development of therapeutic drugs, our dependence upon proprietary technology, our history of operating losses and accumulated deficits, our reliance on research grants, current and future competition, and other risks described from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to release publicly the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date hereof.
Contact: Scott Pancoast Investor Relations Tel: (858) 678-0800 x118 Liolios Group, Inc. Email: spancoast@lpath.com Scott Liolios or Ron Both Internet: www.lpath.com 949-574-3860
Lpath, Inc.CONTACT: Scott Pancoast of Lpath, Inc., +1-858-678-0800 x118,spancoast@lpath.com; Investor Relations: Scott Liolios or Ron Both, both ofLiolios Group, Inc., +1-949-574-3860
Web site: http://www.lpath.com/
