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ARIUS announces allowance of US patent for lead anti-cancer antibody
ARIUS announces allowance of US patent for lead anti-cancer antibody.
About this update from Affinity Metals Corp
[{"type":"text","content":"\n\n\n\nTORONTO, Aug. 1 /CNW/ - ARIUS Research Inc., (TSX: ARI), a biotechnology\ncompany discovering and developing the next wave of antibody therapeutics,\nannounced today that the Company has received notice from the United States\nPatent and Trademark Office that a key patent for its lead anti-CD44 drug\ncandidate will issue on August 7th, 2007, as US Patent Number 7,252,821. This\npivotal patent covers the ARH460-16-2 antibody itself, as well as the use of\nthe antibody in the treatment of breast cancers. ARIUS now has 16 issued and\nallowed patents covering its antibody programs and discovery platform and over\n150 patents pending.\n\n\nThe ARH460-16-2 antibody drug is in development by ARIUS for breast,\nprostate and liver cancers. The CD44 antigen that is targeted by this antibody\nhas been identified as a cancer stem cell marker in several different\nmalignancies. The discovery of cancer stem cells and the markers that\ndistinguish this population of cancer cells from others represent a key\nadvancement in the understanding of cancer. Such insights can be used to\ndevelop drugs, such as ARH460-16-2, to prevent the spread of cancer and extend\nsurvival in cancer patients. Recently ARIUS has also announced the initiation\nof a toxicology program in preparation for human clinical trials.\n\n\n"ARIUS is having an extremely successful year," said Dr. David Young,\nPresident and CEO. "We have hit a number of critical technical milestones and\nthe ongoing success of our patent strategy reflects the value we are building\nin the company. We are moving ahead to file our IND application and begin\nhuman clinical trials in 2008 with the U.S. FDA."\n\n\nThe Company also disclosed the departure of Dr. Robert Gundel, Chief\nScientific Officer, from ARIUS.\n\n\nAbout ARIUS\n\n\nARIUS is a biotechnology company discovering and developing the next wave\nof antibody therapeutics. Established in 1999, ARIUS has built a proprietary\ntechnology platform, FunctionFIRST(TM), that rapidly identifies and selects\nantibodies based on their functional ability to affect disease. This antibody\ngeneration engine has enabled ARIUS to assemble a portfolio of more than\n400 antibody candidates. In addition to the antibodies it is developing\nin-house, ARIUS has ongoing partnerships with key biotechnology and drug\ndevelopment compa...