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REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Genelabs Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:GNLB) announced today that a presentation was made at the Inaugural HCV Drug Discovery meeting being held in La Jolla, California, providing information about Genelab’s first-in-class program targeting a novel antiviral mechanism for treating hepatitis C virus (HCV).
The oral presentation was given by Christopher D. Roberts, Ph.D., Senior Director of Medicinal Chemistry at Genelabs, entitled "Targeting HCV NS4b Function: A New Approach to Anti-HCV Activity."
NS4b is an HCV protein that is believed to function by driving the formation of the "membranous web," the cellular scaffolding assembled by the virus in infected liver cells that is necessary for viral replication. Dr. Roberts outlined the discovery of compounds from an HCV replicon screen. Subsequently, HCV mutant replicons were raised that were resistant to these compounds and displayed consistent amino acid changes localized to a well-defined region of NS4b. "We believe that interfering with the assembly of this critical viral scaffolding can result in potent anti-HCV activity," said Dr. Roberts.
Multiple series of potent, proprietary compounds have resulted from the optimization efforts to date. The most active compounds display HCV replicon EC50 potencies under 100 nanomolar in both genotypes 1a and 1b, the most prevalent and difficult to treat HCV genotypes. Importantly, these NS4b compounds were also tested in combination with other classes of HCV antiviral compounds, including a NS5b polymerase nucleoside chain terminator, a NS5b polymerase non-nucleoside allosteric inhibitor, a NS3a protease inhibitor and interferon alpha, and shown to be additive in activity with each. When the HCV replicon was dosed for three weeks with an NS4b compound, the viral load was dropped by approximately 4 logs. Finally, in-vitro and in-vivo pharmacokinetic analyses demonstrated that compounds from this class have the potential to be well absorbed when dosed orally.
"With the clear threat of emerging viral resistance there remains the need to continue to discover and develop HCV treatments with novel mechanisms of action," said Ronald C. Griffith, Ph.D., Genelabs’ Chief Scientific Officer. "Our NS4b program clearly fits this profile and our initial results show that this approach yields highly potent and orally bioavailable compounds that could play an important role in future HCV therapy. Future treatments for HCV are likely to involve combinations of antiviral drugs, and these data suggest that combinations of this new agent with interferon or other potential therapeutic drugs, such as nucleoside chain terminators, non-nucleoside inhibitors or protease inhibitors, may be feasible."
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements including statements regarding Genelabs’ drug discovery efforts of its antiviral compounds for treatment of HCV. These forward-looking statements are based on Genelabs’ current expectations and are subject to uncertainties and risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made, including, without limitation, the viability of NS4b as an HCV antiviral mechanism, the early stage of Genelabs’ research programs and uncertainties associated with the preclinical development of compounds. Please see the information appearing in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, under the captions "Risk Factors," "Business Risks" and "Forward-Looking Statements" for more discussion regarding these uncertainties and risks and other risks which may affect the company or cause actual results to differ from those included in the forward-looking statements. Genelabs does not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements or risks to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
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There are thousands of software programs
available for computers from utilities to applications of just about any
variety you can think of. While many of these are a matter of choice, there
are some software programs that, in this day and age, you can’t operate
without.
An example would be anti-virus: there are not-so-well-intentioned
programmers working day in and day out to come up with the latest way to
foul up everyone’s computing experience, and computers need to be protected
against them. Another would be anti-malware which goes beyond anti-virus
solutions to stop harmful programs such as worms. Yet another would be
adware and spyware solutions, so that computers can’t be invaded and be
robbed of private information or have their performance crippled out
out-of-control pop-ups. And yet another would be a defragmenter so that
file fragmentation won’t slow or stop performance, which it will do if not
addressed.
To this list should be added data protection programs. Such programs exist
to constantly protect data in real-time in case of accidental file
deletions or losses, and can be crucial when it comes to days, weeks or
months of work that suddenly goes missing.
Unfortunately, some organizations don’t think of such a solution until a
problem occurs and they discover what a predicament this can actually be. A
user accidentally deletes a file and frantically calls the help desk. The
help desk person tells the user to check the Windows Recycle Bin. The user
does, and finds the file is not there because it was saved to the server
(the Windows Recycle Bin is only useful if the file was resident on the
local machine). The only solution then is for IT personnel to get involved
and pull the last version from backup. If the file was created since the
last backup, it is completely lost and has to be reconstructed from
scratch. At best, the backed-up version is older and work has to be done to
once again bring the file to its current version. Such crises can range
from simply annoying and time-consuming to complete catastrophe.
There are emergency recovery programs available which can retrieve a
deleted file from a hard drive if the data has not been over-written. But
by the time someone goes looking for one of those, it may already be too
late.
An advanced data protection solution is one that replaces the Windows
Recycle Bin with its own, and allows deleted files to be recovered even
across a network with a simple click of the mouse. Time-consuming help desk
calls as well as IT hours spent combing through backups are eliminated –
as well as the time it will take to reconstruct the file or bring it back
to the state it was in when deleted.
An added benefit to such programs is the retrieval of earlier versions of
other file types which normally cannot be recovered in any circumstances,
such as earlier, over-written versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and
PowerPoint files.
So to the list of other vital software solutions that an organization can’t
live without should be added an advanced data protection program — before
it’s too late.
Contact:
Bruce Boyers Marketing Services
Email: Email Contact
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — ImmuneRegen BioSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of IR BioSciences Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: IRBO), will provide its adjuvant candidate, Viprovex[R], for nonclinical studies of a Venezuelan equine encephalitis vaccine developed at DynPort Vaccine Company LLC (DVC), a Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE: CSC) company.
Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is a naturally emerging disease with the potential to be used as a biological weapon. Infection with the natural virus is incapacitating, with symptoms of infection including severe headache, back pain, muscle pain, chills, nausea, vomiting and weakness. In severe cases, VEEV attacks the central nervous system resulting in encephalitis, disorientation, convulsions, paralysis, coma and even death.
VEEV is of the Alphavirus genus (others include eastern and western equine encephalitis, Chikungunya fever, and Semliki Forest disease), and was first recognized in the 1930s. Transmitted among horses and rodents by mosquitoes, there is concern that evolving climatic patterns may enable wild rodents in warmer areas of the U.S. to become a reservoir. Incidences of the disease in humans during epidemics have been as high as 300 per thousand persons and this infectivity would contribute to its potential use as a biological weapon. While deadly in horses (where mortality rates approach 80 percent), less than one percent of infected humans have died. (However, in the less than five percent of infected patients that develops encephalitis, mortality rates approach 20 percent.)
Inactivated virus-based vaccines may result in fewer side effects than live virus vaccines, but often require the additional immune-boosting activity of an adjuvant. Initial proof-of-concept studies in mice will compare administration of the Viprovex/inactivated VEEV vaccine combination to inactivated vaccine alone.
ImmuneRegen’s Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Hal Siegel, stated that, "Based on what is currently known about our compound’s capabilities as an adjuvant candidate as well as what we and others have demonstrated in previous studies, we are hopeful that the vaccine/adjuvant combination will elicit a far greater response than the vaccine alone."
The proof-of-concept studies for the Viprovex/inactivated VEEV vaccine combination in mice are scheduled to begin later in 2008. ImmuneRegen BioSciences is currently planning additional adjuvant/vaccine combination studies with other collaborators for the near future.
This project is funded 100 percent with Federal funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services, under Grant # 1 UC1 AI062538-01, initially awarded to DVC in 2004.
About DVC
DynPort Vaccine Company LLC (DVC) manages product development programs for U.S. government agencies, and provides consulting, technical and program management services to companies in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. The company’s portfolio includes vaccines and therapeutics to protect against emerging infectious diseases including biological and chemical warfare threat agents, and seasonal and pandemic influenza. DVC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Computer Sciences Corp. For more information, visit www.csc.com/dvc.
About CSC
Computer Sciences Corporation is a leading information technology (IT) services company. CSC’s mission is to be a global leader in providing technology-enabled business solutions and services. With approximately 91,000 employees, CSC provides innovative solutions for customers around the world by applying leading technologies and CSC’s own advanced capabilities. These include systems design and integration; IT and business process outsourcing; applications software development; Web and application hosting; and management consulting. CSC reported revenue of $16.1 billion for the 12 months ended Dec. 28, 2007. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.csc.com.
About ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc.
ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of IR BioSciences Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: IRBO), is a development-stage biotechnology company focused on the research, development and licensing of Homspera[R], an adult stem cell active compound that can potentially regenerate and strengthen the immune system. To advance its mission, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based company has forged numerous study partnerships with industry and academic leaders, including Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, HemoGenix, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute and Virion Systems. For more information, please visit www.immuneregen.com.
Statements about ImmuneRegen’s future expectations, including statements about the potential for ImmuneRegen’s drug candidates, science and technology, and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. ImmuneRegen intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created thereby. These future events may not occur as and when expected, if at all, and, together with the ImmuneRegen’s business, are subject to various risks and uncertainties. ImmuneRegen’s actual results could differ materially from expected results as a result of a number of factors, including the fact that preliminary results involved only a small number of test mice, the subsequent investigations were limited in scope, the uncertainties inherent in research and development collaborations, pre-clinical and clinical trials and product development programs (including, but not limited to the fact that future results or research and development efforts may prove less encouraging than current results or cause side effects not observed in current pre-clinical trials), the evaluation of potential opportunities, the level of corporate expenditures and monies available for further studies, capital market conditions, and others set forth in ImmuneRegen’s periodic report on Form 10-KSB for the twelve months ended December 31, 2007 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There are no guarantees that any of ImmuneRegen’s proposed products will prove to be commercially successful. ImmuneRegen undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
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BEIJING (AFP) — The Chinese government on Wednesday warned that a lethal intestinal virus that killed 20 children in east China could cause more deaths.
The virus, known as Enterovirus 71, or EV71, has already killed 20 children in Fuyang city in Anhui province, and has infected 1,884 kids, the state-controlled Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday.
“We estimate that the hand, foot and mouth disease [caused by EV71] in Fuyang city will still continue for some time, the number of cases will continue to increase, and serious and fatal cases might still continue to happen,” the Health Ministry said in a statement on its website.
The World Health Organisation earlier in the week also voiced concern over the epidemic in Anhui.
“Although Enteroviruses infecting humans are found worldwide and Enterovirus 71 has been reported in China over recent years we believe the situation is still of concern, …
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Figuring computer system Total Cost of
Ownership (TCO) can be a tricky business. In addition to the equipment
itself there must be added the cost of installed software, programming
hours for any homegrown applications, support subscriptions, upgrades and
patches and the cost of system maintenance. Part of this maintenance is the
warding off of threats to system operation such as viruses and malware –
and file fragmentation. And the threat of file fragmentation must be met
with the right defrag technology.
File fragmentation — the splitting of files into multiple pieces in order
to fully utilize disk space — affects TCO in numerous ways. The first of
these is, of course, slow system performance, which in serious
fragmentation situations can be quite drastic. Not only can performance be
slowed down, it can even be halted altogether. The amount of IT department
hours spent in an effort to address these performance problems can quickly
mount, especially when the true culprit has not been isolated, and TCO
climbs radically.
Another cost that can be directly traced to fragmentation is that of help
desk calls. A help desk call means that a valuable IT employee must stop
whatever he or she is doing and immediately assist a user. Performance is a
top item for help desk calls, and a prime suspect in performance troubles
is fragmentation.
A third way that fragmentation impacts TCO is in the toll on hard drives.
Because it requires greatly increased I/O traffic to pull together all the
fragments of a file, a hard drive takes more than expected punishment.
Expected disk drive life — figured into TCO — can be shortened by a third
or even by half.
Interestingly, many sites have crossed fragmentation off their lists of
performance threats due to the implementation of scheduled defragmentation.
But a closer analysis will reveal that scheduled defrag — now outmoded — is allowing
fragmentation to still have a negative affect on TCO. Because file sizes
and disk capacities have grown so dramatically, fragmentation continues to
build in between scheduled defrag runs. And in the case of very large
disks, defrag may not be occurring
at all.
Scheduled defrag is also having a
negative impact on TCO through the amount of IT hours it takes to analyze
and schedule it.
Currently the only truly cost-effective defragmenter is the completely
automatic solution provided by Diskeeper® Corporation. Utilizing a
proprietary technology called InvisiTasking(TM), Diskeeper defragments
invisibly, in the background, whenever otherwise-idle resources are
available. Performance is always maintained at maximum. And since
scheduling is not required at all, precious IT hours can be spent on
higher-priority projects.
Diskeeper implemented across an entire enterprise means that performance,
help desk calls, hard drive life and IT hours are once again restored to
their rightful places and cost-effectiveness in the TCO of a computer
system.
Contact:
Colleen Toumayan
Email: ctoumayan@diskeeper.com
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Most drugs aimed at suppressing HIV target proteins lying on the virus itself, but new research suggests that focusing on the human host’s immune cells might work even better.
That’s because human cells mutate at much slower rates than does HIV, so the virus would have much less chance of mutating around the drug, scientists explained.
The research is still in its early stages, but it “provides a very nice model that you can inhibit a cellular protein and affect HIV replication,” explained co-senior author Dr. Pamela Schwartzberg, a senior investigator at the U.S. National Human Genome Research Institute.
Her team published the findings in this week’s edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .
Almost all antiretroviral drugs work by targeting a viral protein. But HIV replicates continually, raising the odds for drug-resistant mutations. For this reason, HIV-positive patients must often take …
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* Collaborating with Microsoft, solution helps businesses protect IP network investments, easily integrate security services with reduced upfront investment, and address many information security challenges faced by IT managers
* Filtered an estimated 250 billion spam messages and viruses from the networks of more than 1 million Sprint users in the last 12 months
* Collaborating with Alcatel-Lucent, comprehensive laptop security solution also available, SprintSecure(SM) Laptop Guardian
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Electronic messaging is important for businesses, but the continued proliferation of viruses, worms, denial-of-service attacks and spam makes effective message security and management increasingly difficult. Businesses have invested heavily in their IP and MPLS VPN networks and they need to protect it from such threats. Sprint (NYSE:S) offers a solution to help provide peace of mind for businesses by blocking spam and viruses before they ever reach the company’s network. SprintSecure(SM) Message Protection, powered by Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services, is available for businesses of all sizes and now includes several enhancements to more robustly solve the challenges faced by IT managers.
"Sprint is a leader in helping businesses implement an IP-based infrastructure to support the convergence of data, voice and video over a single network, thus heightening the urgency to protect against electronic threats," said Mike Coffey, vice president of product management, Sprint. "SprintSecure Message Protection is critical to protecting this network investment. In addition to protecting more than a million business users with this service every day, Sprint uses it to protect our own world-class IP network. The service has blocked more than 250 billion spam messages and viruses for our customers in just the last 12 months . . . a significant impact that improves customers’ productivity and efficiency of IP and MPLS VPN networks."
SprintSecure Message Protection requires no hardware or software to be installed thereby reducing the upfront costs to businesses. It is composed of four distinct services, including recent enhancements to two of the services –
[TABLE OMITTED]
Sprint has worked through a strategic alliance with Microsoft to offer and continually enhance this solution. "Microsoft values its relationship with Sprint and their continued dedication to provide and extend the capabilities of Exchange Hosted Services," said Stephan Schirrecker, director for online services, Microsoft Corp. "By working together with Sprint, we are giving customers flexible options for protecting their messaging infrastructure - no matter their security requirements or technology expertise."
SprintSecure Message Protection is part of the SprintSecure comprehensive portfolio of mobility and converged security services that meets a variety of customer needs given today’s complex and ever-changing environment. The newest addition to the portfolio is SprintSecure(SM) Laptop Guardian, introduced in 2007.
This innovative new service helps to solve the "mobile blind spot" of business customers. In collaboration with Alcatel-Lucent, SprintSecure Laptop Guardian is one of the first comprehensive laptop security solutions for businesses to help ease IT headaches and provide control over data maintained on end-user laptops. It enables 24/7 security through remote monitoring, location and locking if a laptop is lost or stolen, and simplifies security management since all capabilities are delivered over-the-air to the laptop anywhere on the nationwide Sprint Mobile Broadband network. Sprint and Alcatel-Lucent received a 3G CDMA Industry Achievement Award for Innovation in Wireless Enterprise Solutions Development for the service in 2007.
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two robust wireless networks serving approximately 54 million customers at the end of 2007; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
The names of actual companies and product mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
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25-year stability data presented at 24(th) Annual Clinical Virology Symposium
MILFORD, Mass. — SeraCare Life Sciences, Inc. (SRLS:PK) today presented data demonstrating that the Company’s seroconversion panels for HIV, Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) remain stable for a minimum of 25 years. This extended shelf-life expands research opportunities for biopharmaceutical customers who are developing life-saving products and allows in vitro diagnostic (IVD) companies to benchmark improvements in assay development for HIV, HBV and HCV. Seroconversion panels are plasma specimens collected from a single donor during the development of viral infection and the subsequent immune response.
"These results are very exciting for the research community because they allow investigators to view and evaluate disease evolution over time and provide common reference points against which IVD companies can substantiate improvements in their assays." said Susan Vogt, Chief Executive Officer. "Researchers can now look at plasma collected from a donor more than 20 years ago with full confidence in the specimen’s stability. This allows our biopharmaceutical and diagnostics customers to more accurately study the early infection events of these viral diseases, which could provide information to develop new test methods and treatments."
In the study, seroconversion panels for HIV, HBV and HCV that had been collected as early as 1981 and as recently as 1996 were evaluated by comparing the earliest test results available to test results generated from the same plasma in 2007. Antibodies to HIV, HCV and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) were tested. Results demonstrate that these viral markers show no deterioration over a period of greater than 20 years even when stored in sub-optimal conditions. These results allow SeraCare to propose 25-year dating for seroconversion panels and similar plasma products.
The data were presented today in a poster entitled "Long-Term Stability of Viral Markers in Plasma" at the 24th Annual Clinical Virology Symposium in Daytona Beach, Florida.
About SeraCare Life Sciences, Inc.:
SeraCare serves the global life sciences industry by providing vital products and services to facilitate the discovery, development and production of human and animal diagnostics and therapeutics. The Company’s innovative portfolio includes diagnostic controls, plasma-derived reagents and molecular biomarkers, biobanking and contract research services. SeraCare’s quality systems, scientific expertise and state-of-the-art facilities support its customers in meeting the stringent requirements of the highly regulated life sciences industry.
Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release are forward-looking statements. All statements regarding SeraCare’s expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financial plans, business strategy, capital expenditures, plans and objectives of management for future operations, as well as statements that include words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may,’ "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and readers must recognize that actual results may differ materially from SeraCare’s expectations. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, results of litigation, government investigations, the availability of financing, actions of SeraCare’s competitors and changes in general economic conditions. Certain of the risks and factors associated with SeraCare’s business are also discussed in the Company’s 2007 Form 10-K and in other reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All these risks and factors should be taken into account in evaluating any forward-looking statements. Many of these factors are outside of SeraCare’s control. SeraCare does not undertake a duty to update any forward-looking statements contained herein.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
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