-Brings total number of products in the clinic to five-Strasbourg, France, June 22, 1999 — TRANSGENE (NASDAQ:TRGNY) announced today the initiation of a new clinical trial using adenovirus-IFN-γ for the first time. This Phase I clinical trial is being conducted at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, in patients with advanced malignant melanoma, under a TRANSGENE sponsored Investigational New Drug (IND). This is the company's second IND approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Additional Phase I clinical trials are being implemented in Europe.
The adenovirus-IFN-γ project is part of TRANSGENE's effort to enhance the human immune system's ability to reject cancer cells and thus provide an improved, less toxic alternative to chemotherapy and radiation in the treatment of advanced cancer. The product is based on TRANSGENE's adenovirus technology and is designed to produce interferon-γ, a natural cytokine that helps to stimulate the body's immune system. Studies in laboratory animals have indicated the potential value of this compound in stimulating the immune system and enhancing the response against cancer, both alone and in combination with other forms of immunotherapy.
TRANSGENE has two other product in clinical trials which incorporate interleukin-2, another member of the cytokine family, which is known for it important role in stimulating the immune system. The other major approach in TRANSGENE's oncology program is based on the development of anti-cancer vaccines, where tumor specific antigens are produced by vaccinia viruses in an effort to boost the body's immune response against these antigens.
"With the launch of this new trial, TRANSGENE is advancing its strategy to fight cancer," said Bernard Gilly, President and Chief Executive Officer of TRANSGENE. "The very encouraging preliminary results from our breast cancer Phase II trial released a few weeks ago at the ASCO conference, ours various other ongoing trials and an extensive and diverse vector platform make TRANSGENE a leader in this field."
TRANSGENE, based in Strasbourg, France, with US offices near Boston, Massachusetts, is a leading integrated gene therapy company dedicated to the discovery and development of gene delivery technologies and gene therapy products for the treatment of acquired or inherited diseases for which there is no cure or adequate therapy at present. The Company's proprietary technology platform consist of five vector families, including three of viral origin (adenovirus, retrovirus, vaccinia virus) and two of non viral origin (cellular and synthetic vectors). TRANSGENE currently has four Phase II studies ongoing in four different types of cancers. TRANSGENE has entered in two significant partnerships with Schering-Plough and Human Genome Sciences.
Source: Transgène
