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Nobel Prize Winner Sir John Vane, Joshua Boger, and Adolphus Busch IV JoinMetaPhore Pharmaceuticals' Board of Directors
St. Louis, MO., June 14, 2001 -- MetaPhore Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(r), a drug research and development company, announced today that Nobel Prize winner Sir John Vane, pharmaceutical executive Joshua Boger , and venture capital entrepreneur Adolphus Busch IV have joined the company's Board of Directors.
Professor Vane is the Director of the William Harvey Research Institute in London, England. For more than 40 years, Sir John has been one of the leading medical researchers in the world. His research, which identified the mode of action of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. aspirin, ibuprofen), led to the award of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1982. His career has spanned both industry as the Director of Research and Development of The Wellcome Foundation and academia, at Yale University and the University of London.
Dr. Boger is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its scientific founder. Previously, he was Senior Director of Basic Chemistry at Merck Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories where he headed both the Department of Medicinal Chemistry of Immunology & Inflammation and the Department of Biophysical Chemistry.
Mr. Busch is an investment banker with R.T. Jones Capital Equities in Clayton, MO, a managing member of the Belleau Development LLC, a venture capital cooperative based in St. Louis, and a holder of MetaPhore's Series A preferred stock.
"We are pleased to announce these additions to MetaPhore's Board of Directors," said Garland Marshall, Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of MetaPhore. "Sir John is one of the pre-eminent medical researchers in the world. His groundbreaking work on anti-inflammatory mechanisms laid part of the foundation for our own work in this area. Dr. Boger has first-hand experience in transforming a startup into a very successful pharmaceutical company with relevant experience in forging strategic alliances. Mr. Busch has been an early supporter of MetaPhore, and his extensive business experience will be a vital addition to the wide range of expertise on our Board."
Privately-held MetaPhore is developing a proprietary family of drugs that mimic the action of the body's primary free radical fighting natural enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD). Preclinical studies have shown that MetaPhore's SOD enzyme mimetics hold potential for a wide range of conditions and diseases associated with free radical damage to tissues and cells, such as pain and inflammation, stroke, heart attack, and certain types of cancer.
The company recently announced that it has opened an Investigational New Drug (IND) application and has initiated its first Phase I clinical trial with one of its SOD mimetic compounds, M40403, as a precursor to Phase II trials as a co-therapy with interleukin-2 (IL-2) for advanced skin and end-stage kidney cancers.
MetaPhore scientists pioneered the design and development of SOD mimetic compounds. Previous attempts by the pharmaceutical industry to develop a naturally-derived SOD drug showed promise; however use of the drug, which was derived from bovine SOD, was frustrated by the natural form's inherent instability and the body's reaction to its introduction. MetaPhore's SOD enzyme mimetics are ideal drug candidates because they have a low molecular weight, are highly stable and are unlikely to elicit an immune response in the body. Furthermore, the chemical structure of the metal-based compounds can easily be optimized for application to different diseases and conditions.
In a study published earlier this year in the journal Inorganic Chemistry, MetaPhore researchers reported the development of a 'superactive' mimetic compound, achieving the highest catalytic rate for reducing superoxide free radicals of any known synthetic compound and exceeding the rate of the natural SOD enzymes. The researchers also reported that the improved SOD mimetic, consistent with its higher catalytic rate, exhibited protective effects in preclinical models of reperfusion injury and septic shock at significantly lower dosage levels.
"SOD enzyme mimetics have major medical potential, based on the growing body of research that links free radical-induced damage to numerous diseases and conditions. We can effectively replicate the beneficial action of the SOD enzyme in a stable and selective drug form, and also tailor specific mimetic compounds for each disease state," said Dennis Riley, Senior Vice President of Research & Development.
Background
The natural SOD enzyme plays a central role in the body's oxidative chemistry, regulating normal levels of free radical superoxide molecules. In certain disease states, however, the body's immune system prompts an overproduction of superoxide and the natural SOD enzymes become overwhelmed, leading to tissue and cell damage.
In excess, superoxide free radicals contribute to inflammatory processes and inhibit certain disease fighting mechanisms, such as anti-tumor natural killer (NK) cells. Overproduction of superoxide also deactivates a class of molecules that help maintain the body's blood pressure regulatory system.
To date, MetaPhore's compounds have demonstrated substantial potential as novel drug candidates in preclinical models of disease, including:
Cancer -- Enzyme mimetic M40403 has shown an ability to reverse and prevent the extremely low blood pressure that is a potentially life threatening side effect of interleukin-2 (IL-2) cancer therapy. M40403 also enhanced the direct anti-tumor properties of the IL-2 immunotherapy.
Pain -- Enzyme mimetic M40419 has shown an ability to prevent and reduce pain, with a rapid onset of action and no evidence of sedating or gastrointestinal side effects. M40419 also enhances pain relief with opioids and NSAIDS, and has shown an ability to reverse morphine tolerance.
Stroke/Heart Attack -- Enzyme mimetic M40401 has been shown to substantially reduce tissue damage due to inflammation and reperfusion injury, i.e. the damage caused by the return of blood flow following the removal of a blockage, such as after an ischemic heart attack or stroke.
In addition, a derivation of M40403 has shown promise as a general anti-inflammatory surface treatment for implanted medical devices, such as heart stents and pacemakers.
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are "forward looking" statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The actual results may differ from those projected in the forward looking statement due to risks and uncertainties that exist in the company's operations, development efforts and business environment.
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