AEGiS-PRn: Peptimmune Acquires Option to HIV Therapeutic Vaccine Technology From Massachusetts General Hospital; Technology Based on Findings Published in Nov. 21, 1997 Issue of Science

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Peptimmune Acquires Option to HIV Therapeutic Vaccine Technology From Massachusetts General Hospital; Technology Based on Findings Published in Nov. 21, 1997 Issue of Science

PR Newswire; Tuesday December 2, 8:29 am EST

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Peptimmune, Inc. announced today that it has acquired an exclusive option to license patent-pending technology from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) related to a potential treatment for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. The technology is based on findings reported in the November 21 issue of Science. The authors of the article found that a very small subset of patients infected with the AIDS virus are able to suppress viral replication without antiretroviral drugs and to remain free of disease symptoms for prolonged periods, in one case for more than 18 years.

As reported by Dr. Bruce Walker, Director of the Partners AIDS Research Center, and his colleagues, some individuals infected with HIV do not progress ("nonprogressors") because their immune systems produce a vigorous and specific T helper cell response that is crucial to the maintenance of effective immunity. As part of his research, Dr. Walker discovered that some fragments of the p24 protein antigen (peptide antigens) were more potent stimulators of T helper cells than other p24 peptides. Peptimmune is developing selected p24 peptide antigens with its Peptimer(TM) technology as a potential therapeutic vaccine for the millions of people infected with HIV.

"Our Peptimer technology has the potential to increase p24 peptide antigen effectiveness in stimulating T helper cells. These Peptimers are comprised of multiple linked peptide antigens that can more efficiently induce a highly specific T-cell response at a much lower dose than the same peptide antigen in its natural singular form," commented Ben Bronstein, M.D., President and CEO of Peptimmune. "The ability of Peptimer-delivered peptide antigens to stimulate T-cells at extremely low dosages provides Peptimmune with a platform from which to develop therapeutic vaccines for HIV and other serious viral infections."

In addition to its Peptimer technology, Peptimmune is developing technologies that act to regulate antigen processing and presentation, the "headwaters" of the immune system. Its platform technologies are based on the discoveries of its scientific founders, Jack L. Strominger, M.D., Higgins Professor of Biochemistry at Harvard University and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and Hidde L. Ploegh, Ph.D., Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr., Professor of Immunopathology at Harvard Medical School, and its collaborators.

Peptimmune discovers and develops therapeutics for regulation of immune system antigen processing and presentation. The company's initial development efforts are in the areas of autoimmune and viral diseases.

SOURCE: Peptimmune, Inc.

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