CONTACT:
Stephen Push
IGEN International, Inc.
(301) 869-9800, ext. 2158
[email protected]
IGEN Technology Used in Alzheimer's Basic Research Study
GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- June 15, 2000 -- Investigators at Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) used the patented ORIGEN(tm) technology developed by IGEN International, Inc. (Nasdaq: IGEN) in studies that led to the identification of a long-sought enzyme believed to play a critical role in Alzheimer's disease. Reported in the June 8 issue of Nature, this advance may provide pharmaceutical researchers with a promising target for new drugs to treat the disease.
Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative neurological disorder associated with abnormal deposits in the brain. Scientists have hypothesized that enzymes cause these deposits by cutting a long, string-like protein in two places. In the Nature article, the Merck researchers showed that an enzyme called presenilin 1 makes one of these cuts.
The ultimate cause of the disease is still unknown, and effective drugs are years away. But the newly identified enzyme may prove to be a useful target for development of new drugs that would treat Alzheimer's by inhibiting the enzyme's activity. IGEN's ORIGEN technology can be used to assay for inhibition of presenilin 1.
"This research further validates the power of ORIGEN technology to identify and characterize new drug targets," said Samuel J. Wohlstadter, IGEN's chairman and chief executive officer. "It is another example of how IGEN's products can help pharmaceutical researchers derive medical and commercial benefits from the flood of data coming from the sequencing of the human genome. The promise of genomics can be fulfilled only with the aid of a potent detection and measurement technology that can help translate genomic information into knowledge about disease processes and new treatments."
IGEN develops and markets biological detection and measurement systems based on its proprietary ORIGEN technology. The company's products are used by most of the world's top pharmaceutical companies in every phase of drug discovery and development, from target identification and validation to screening and lead optimization, preclinical and clinical studies, and manufacturing quality control. ORIGEN technology is also used in clinical diagnostics and food safety testing. IGEN and its licensees--Roche Diagnostics, Organon Teknika, and Eisai Company--sell ORIGEN-based products worldwide.
ORIGEN technology can assay a wide range of biological substances, including small molecules, proteins, nucleic acids, and microorganisms. Compared to other biological detection technologies, it provides a unique combination of sensitivity, reliability, speed, and cost-effectiveness. More information can be found at http://www.igen.com .
Statements in this release, including those that relate to the utility of ORIGEN technology in drug discovery and development, are forward-looking statements. Actual results might differ materially from these statements due to risks and uncertainties, including the impact of competitive products and pricing, market acceptance of new products, market conditions, and enforcement of IGEN's intellectual property rights. A more detailed description of these and other risks applicable to IGEN appears in the company's documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on request from IGEN. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
IGEN and ORIGEN are registered trademarks of IGEN International, Inc.
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