Good Morning My Friends,
Thought this might be some use.
Subject: Ariad Announces Breakthrough in Development of Stem Cell
Therapy
Ariad Announces Breakthrough in Development of Stem Cell Therapy Using
ARGENT Gene Regulation Technology
April 20, 2000
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CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 20, 2000
Collaboration and licensing agreements signed with the University
of Washington
ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARIA) today announced that the
growth
and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells -- cells that have the
capability to turn into any cell type and tissue -- can be controlled
using
the ARIAD Regulated Gene Expression Technology (ARGENT(tm)) system.
ARIAD
and its collaborators at the University of Washington have overcome
several
of the major limitations to the development of stem cell therapy -- the
inability to efficiently transfer genes into these rare cells, to
control
their growth, and to direct their differentiation towards the desired
cell
type and tissue.
The research led by C. Anthony Blau, M.D. establishes the feasibility of
controlling the growth and development of rare stem cells and other
progenitor cells into specialized cell types, such as neurons, bone,
cartilage, pancreatic islet cells, heart muscle cells, and different
types
of blood cells. ARIAD's collaborators have successfully engineered stem
cells with a "growth switch" using the ARGENT system for small-molecule
control of cellular function. The rate and extent of growth of these
engineered stem cells can be regulated by altering the dose of ARIAD's
gene-targeted drug. The desired type of specialized cell can be selected
by
choosing a particular regulated growth receptor and engineering it into
the
stem cells.
Dr. Blau's group demonstrated, for the first time, the expansion of
genetically modified primary human blood cells with AP1903, ARIAD's
gene-targeted drug. They showed that AP1903 could be used to grow a
specific
population of red blood cells from progenitor cells isolated from human
cord
blood. This suggests that patients with genetic blood disorders may be
treated by administering stem cells that have been engineered with the
ARGENT gene regulation system and then dosed with AP1903 to stimulate
the
production of modified blood cells in the body. Results of this study
were
published in part in the January 2000 issue of Blood.
ARIAD also announced today the expansion of its ongoing collaboration
with
the University of Washington involving the development of stem cell
therapy
products, and the exclusive licensing of two of its patent applications
covering methods for controlling the growth and differentiation of stem
cells and other progenitor cells using ARGENT. Under the terms of the
agreements, ARIAD also will receive rights to all intellectual property
and
inventions made using ARIAD's technology as part of the collaboration.
"Stem cells are `master cells' that have the potential to be used to
treat
multiple diseases and to be a universal source of replacement cells for
transplantation. Their promise in medicine was selected by the editors
of
Science as the 1999 Breakthrough of the Year. We anticipate further
refining
the applications of ARGENT to stem cell therapy and focusing on the
evolving
product opportunities, including the treatment of cancer and genetic
diseases and for organ regeneration," said Harvey J. Berger, M.D.,
chairman
and chief executive officer.
C. Anthony Blau, M.D., assistant professor of medicine (hematology) at
the
University of Washington School of Medicine, added "an especially
attractive
feature of ARGENT-based stem cell therapy is its potential for
specifically
regulating the growth and differentiation of engineered cells in vitro
and
in vivo with small-molecule drugs."
ARIAD Pharmaceuticals (www.ariad.com) is a leader in the discovery and
development of proprietary platform technologies and small-molecule
therapeutic products based on gene regulation and signal transduction.
These
enabling technologies distinguish the gene therapy and protein therapy
products being developed by the Company and also may be licensed to
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for use in their research and
product development programs. ARIAD also is developing orally
administered
small-molecule drugs to inhibit signal transduction pathways that are
critically involved in major diseases. Some of the matters discussed in
this
news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties, which include, but are not limited to, risks and
uncertainties regarding the Company's preclinical studies, the ability
of
the Company to conduct clinical trials of its products and the success
of
such trials, as well as risks and uncertainties relating to economic
conditions, markets, products, competition, intellectual property,
services
and prices, key employees, future capital needs, dependence on our
collaborators and other factors under the heading "Cautionary Statement
Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in ARIAD's Annual Report on Form
10-K
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1999 filed with the Securities
and
Exchange Commission.
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God Bless You All,
marty auslander
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